Jammu and Kashmir administration asks Rahul, leaders not to visit Srinagar

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday asked leaders of political parties not to visit Srinagar, claiming it will jeopardize the efforts to restore normalcy in the region.

The advisory came ahead of the planned visit of leaders of opposition parties including Rahul Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad, K.C Venugopal, Sitaram Yechury, Tiruchi Siva, Sharad Yadav, Majeed Memon, Manoj Jha and others.

The J&K administration said that by visiting the state, the leaders would be violating restrictions that are still there in many areas. "Senior leaders should understand that top priority would be given to maintaining peace, order and preventing loss of human lives," said the administration in a series of tweets. 

The administration also said that the government is trying to protect the people of Jammu and Kashmir from the threat of cross-border terrorism and attacks by militants and separatists and gradually trying to restore public order by controlling miscreants and mischief-mongers. 

The government has prevented political leaders from the mainstream political parties from visiting Jammu and Kashmir since August 5 when Article 370 was abrogated and the state was bifurcated into Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has been returned from Srinagar airport twice since then.