Pilgrims' vehicles allowed on Kashmir highway

Srinagar, July 22: Vehicles carrying Amarnath pilgrims were allowed to ply on the 300-km-long National Highway, connecting Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, after stopping them for several hours at various places for security reasons, following killing of three militants in an encounter early Sunday morning by security forces.

“Vehicles carrying Amarnath pilgrims towards Jammu and base camps in Kashmir were this afternoon allowed to ply on the National Highway. They were stopped for several hours at many places for security reasons,” official sources told TNN.

They said the decision to allow vehicles ferrying Amarnath yatris on the highway towards their respective destinations was taken after reviewing the security situation.

They said pilgrims, who had darshan and returned to Baltal base camp, were not allowed to move towards Jammu this morning for security reasons. The pilgrims were kept in Manigam base camp in the central Kashmir district of Ganderbal, they said.

However, the pilgrims were later in the afternoon allowed to move from the base camp after receiving green signal from Kulgam police.

Similarly pilgrims, who were stopped at Nunwan Pahalgam base camp, were allowed to move towards Jammu, they said.

Kashmir-bound pilgrims, who were stopped at various places on the other highway, were also allowed move toward the valley.

Three militants were killed in an encounter by security forces at Khudwani, a km from main Srinagar-Jammu highway in Kulgam.