Srinagar, August 2: Pilgrims of the annual Amarnath Yatra, along with tourists in Jammu & Kashmir, have been asked by the government to curtail their visit immediately. The state administration on Friday issued an advisory, directing them to leave the Valley "immediately" in view of the threat posed by Pakistan-backed terrorists.

In a security advisory addressed to the pilgrims and tourists in J&K, the state administration said "that they may curtail their stay in the Valley immediately and take necessary measures to return as soon as possible". Amid Tensions Over Article 35-A, Centre Sends Additional 25,000 Paramilitary Troopers to Valley

The directive came shortly after the Army issued a press conference, claiming that they have received credible intelligence inputs of a Pakistan ploy to carry out fatal terror attacks in the route of Amarnath Yatra. Shortly after the press briefing, government announced the suspension of the pilgrimage.

Security Advisory Issued by J&K Administration:

Anxiety among Kashmir residents peaked since last week, when the Centre decided to deploy 10,000 additional troopers following the visit of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to the state.

Amid speculations that the Narendra Modi regime is considering to repel Article 35-A of the Constitution, which guarantees special status to J&K, the Centre late on Thursday decided to dispatch additional 25,000 troopers to the Valley.

The J&K Police, however, have denied the speculation that the increased military deployment is aimed at countering unrest in wake of the rumoured plan to withdraw Article 35-A.

"We're getting inputs that violence levels are likely to be increased by militants. So, we've tried to strengthen grid on ground.Also,we've been told that troops must get time to relax. This is time for turnover. But grid will be in as much active form as required," said Dilbag Singh, DG JK Police.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 02, 2019 04:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).