Fearing Backlash Ban On Slaughtering Of Animals In IIOJK On Eid Revoked

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jul, 2021 ) :After facing backlash from religious bodies and general population around Muslim-majority, Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Indian government fearing further escalation of the tensions revoked the ban it had imposed on sacrificing of bovines on Eid-ul-Azha the other day.

According to Kashmir Media Service (KMS), India on Friday ordered a crackdown on the religious sacrifice of animals in Kashmir, appearing to invite tensions in the majority-Muslim region days before one of islam's biggest religious festival.

The directive to the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir came less than a week before Muslims to mark Eid ul-Azha by offering prayers and slaughtering livestock.

Principal Secretary Animal and Sheep Husbandry, Naveen Kumar Choudhary clarified that no ban has been imposed on sacrificing of bovines on Eid-ul-Azha while stating that slaughtering should be done as per animal laws.

He, however, said that there should be no illegal transportation of bovines and slaughtering of animals on the road, which would be acted upon. Naveen also said that the advisory is not just for Jammu and Kashmir, but for the entire country.

"Delhi is interfering in our religion," Bashir Ahmad Thoker, who lives in the northern Baramulla district of Kashmir, told media. "Sacrificing animals is mandatory for Muslims on Eid, but Delhi wants to implement a Hindu nationalist agenda in Kashmir." Abdul Razaq, from Srinagar, said: "We would prefer to die defending our religion, rather than accept this diktat."Political analysts and experts believe that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wanted to inflame Muslim violence to bring out the Hindu vote in upcoming state elections.

They said banning the sacrifice of animals on Eid-ul-Azha is a message that neither the sentiments nor the religious freedoms of the Muslim community in Kashmir matters.