Emphasizing on the rich tradition of the state to celebrate different festivals with amity, Minister for Horticulture, Haj and Auqaf, Abdul Rehman Veeri has called for strengthening the diverse culture of Jammu and Kashmir.
Interacting with Kashmiri Migrant pandits on the occasion of celebration of annual Kapal Mochan Shradh festival at Nagbal, Shopian, the Minister expressed the hope that the Yatra will restore the trust between the Kashmiri majority and Kashmiri minority and called the ”festival a step in the right direction”. He said that celebrating festivals together with amity is the hallmark of our glorious cultural ethos.
The Minister went around the shrine complex and took stock of the arrangements being made by the administration for the pilgrims on the occasion of festival. He directed the officers to ensure that devotees do not face any inconvenience.
MLA, Shopian, Mohammad Yousaf Bhat, DC Shopian and other senior officers accompanied the Minister.
Mr Veeri while interacting with yatris assured them that government has taken all necessary initiatives for up -gradation of various facilities to the visiting devotees at the various pilgrimage sites of the state. He said reformative initiatives are under way to upgrade the boarding and lodging facilities at pilgrimage sites for the convenience of the devotees.
He said the festival has over the years become a source of reunion for Kashmiri Pandits following their mass migration from the Valley in the wake of their migration in early 1990s. He said it also serves as a reminder of communal harmony between Muslims and Kashmiri Pandits as the former make almost all the arrangements for the latter’s stay at the place of their worship.
The Minister said people of Kashmir believe in secular ethos and mutual brotherhood, which has been the cornerstone of the world-renowned Kashmiryat. “Time is not far off, when both Muslims and Pandits would be living together as they had¬ been living earlier for centuries”, he said.
KP’s integral part of culture, ethos of Kashmir, Kashmiriyat: Veeri
