SRINAGAR/ISLAMABAD: Thousands of Indian tourists, pilgrims and workers began leaving the disputed region of Kashmir after a local government alert over possible crackdown on resident Kashmiri’s was issued.
A local government order effectively called off the pilgrimage, asking the pilgrims and tourists to return home.
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A Pakistani defense spokesperson dismissed India’s assertions as “mere propaganda”, calling them “blatant lies”.
A senior local government official in Kashmir said the local government advisory had caused panic and led to the departure of “thousands” of tourists, pilgrims and laborers.
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The official did not give a specific number, but he said most of the 20,000 Hindu pilgrims and Indian tourists and the more than 200,000 laborers were leaving the region.
In a statement late on Saturday, the Pakistani government said it was concerned about the situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir, adding it rejects India’s assertions of “intelligence inputs” about some imminent attack.
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The Pakistani Foreign Minister has voiced concern in letters to the United Nations Secretary-General and the presidents of the Security Council and the General Assembly, it said.
