India weaponizes Hindu Pilgrimage to Economically Marginalize Kashmiri Muslims

On 2nd July, the fruit growers and dealers of north Kashmir held a peaceful protest at Fruit Mandi (Fruit Market) Sopore over the stoppage of fruit-laden trucks along Srinagar-Jammu highway in view of the Hindu Amarnath Yatra. Due to the Yatra pilgrimage, the state authorities have heavily increased military checkpoints, forced Kashmiri Muslim shopkeepers to close down their shops, denied them the right to access roads and highways, and have now stopped the fruit growers from using the main Srinagar-Jammu highway to transport their fruits for trade. The fruit growers have said that they have already suffered huge losses over the past several years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and repeated military curfews in Kashmir.  ( Source: https://freepresskashmir.news/2022/07/02/kashmir-fruit-growers-dealers-protest-over-halting-of-trucks-on-srinagar-jammu-highway/ )