Hurriyat rejects Omar's helicopter ride

The hardline

Hurriyat Conference on Sunday rejected Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah’s offer of a helicopter ride to ascertain the status of repairs on the track to the Amarnath shrine, saying the move was an attempt to divert attention from the issue.

A team sent by the Hurriyat to survey the area had brought concrete evidence of building material that had been dumped in the area, an amalgam spokesman said here.

“What our team has seen on the ground can be seen while flying a helicopter,” he said. He added that the helicopter ride offer by the chief minister was an attempt to divert attention from the issue.

‘Lift restrictions’

The spokesman, while rejecting the chief minister’s offer, said the government should only lift the restrictions on Geelani’s movement.

 “He (Geelani) will make his own arrangements to visit the area,” the spokesman added.
On Saturday, Omar said, “We have two choppers, let him (Geelani) choose a day and go wherever he wants around the Amarnath shrine. Then let him prove that a single meter of road length has been macadamised or any step has been taken that is harmful to environment.”

Threatened protest

On Thursday, Geelani had threatened to launch an agitation after Eid-ul Zuha against the alleged government plans to construct permanent facilities around the Amarnath shrine.