PAHALGAM: On Thursday, Hindus in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) embarked on a month-long pilgrimage. Many of the faithful began their journey close to the location where a deadly incident in April sparked hostilities with Pakistan.
The trek to the hallowed ice pillar in a cave in the wooded Himalayan highlands above the town of Pahalgam drew half a million believers last year.
On April 22, 26 visitors, primarily Hindu, were killed by gunmen at Pahalgam.
Islamabad denied New Delhi’s assertions that the gunmen were supported by Pakistan, which led to a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic actions that intensified into a four-day battle.
