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Eid shopping picked up across Kashmir Valley on Thursday after Tuesday’s rains caused a flood scare.
The rains which began Monday night continued till late Tuesday throwing the life out of gear in the Valley and filled river Jhelum to the danger level point forcing authorities to issue a flood alert on Wednesday morning.
Luckily, the downpour stopped in time. Clear skies encouraged people to come out for Eid shopping.
The main markets across the Valley, particularly in summer capital Srinagar and its city centre Lal Chowk was filled to the brim by shoppers from early morning leading to traffic snarls.
The shops selling mutton, bakery products, vegetables and garments are seeing a huge rush of buyers.
Impromptu markets selling sacrificial animals have come up at various points in the city.
The shadow of the Jammu and Kashmir high court’s order banning sale of beef in the state is, however, looming large on the mandatory sacrificial ritual on the occasion.
The ban has almost vertically divided the ruling coalition partners in the state with the Bharatiya Janata Party pressing for strict implementation of the ban while the People’s democratic Party seemingly going soft on it.
Minister Imran Raza Ansari of the PDP stated that ‘beef consumption will continue in Jammu and Kashmir’.
“Nobody can interfere in our religious matters. Eating beef is allowed in Islam and we will continue to eat it,” he told reporters a few days ago.
The government sensing violation of the ban is mulling measures to contain the situation from taking an untoward turn. That includes a ban on internet services from late Thursday night till Saturday.
Security across the state has been beefed up to maintain law and order. Hard-line separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Thursday appealed Muslims ‘not to act in a manner that would hurt sentiments of the other communities’.
In a statement, Geelani said: “In no way should our act of sacrifice hurt the sentiments of any community.”