All is well in the valley of Kashmir. The government has been insisting since the revocation of Articles 370 and 35A. And to prove that normalcy has returned to the blighted territory, staged managed events are being frequently organised. While a few months ago the G20 tourism meeting was held in Srinagar, in the last week of July the government allowed the Muharram procession to pass through its traditional route after a gap of over 30 years.

J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha attends the Muharram procession in Srinagar

What is more, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha himself participated in the Zuljanah procession on the 10th day of Muharram at the Bota Kadal area of downtown Srinagar to mark Youm-e-Ashura. After he paid his tributes to Hazrat Imam Hussain, the procession wound its way from Bota Kadal to Zadibal in the old city. Earlier, on the eighth day of Muharram, the office of the Lt Governor, in a statement, had said, “I bow to the martyrs of Karbala and recall (the) sacrifices of Imam Hussain and his ideals. Today is a historic occasion for Shia brethren in (the) Kashmir valley as after 34 years, the eighth Muharram procession is taking place on the traditional route.”