Jammu & Kashmir: Travel advisory issued against travelling to J&K by UK, Australia and Germany

Owing to the ongoing tension in Jammu & Kashmir, United Kingdom, Germany and Australia have issued travel advisory ‘against’ the destination.

The UK travel advisory to its citizens read, "Foreigners remain vulnerable in rural districts and outside the main population centres and tourist areas. There is a risk of unpredictable violence, including bombings, grenade attacks, shootings and kidnappings.” In the advisory, the UK government asked the citizens to stay vigilant. "If you're in Jammu and Kashmir, you should remain vigilant, follow the advice of local authorities and keep up to date with developments, including via this travel advice."

Minutes later, Germany and Australia too issued a travel advisory to their citizens asking to not to travel to Jammu and Kashmir, considering the current situation. Germany, in its advisory, has strongly discouraged travel to Kashmir and asked its citizens travelling to India or are already are in the country to be safe.

In the advisory, Germany has asked the citizens to stay away from the Kashmir region, including Srinagar. Also, the advisory asks people to stay informed about the security and infrastructure situation and be extremely careful while travelling to the western parts of Ladakh. Citizens are asked to not to travel alone or with an unidentified guide along with avoiding the immediate border areas with Pakistan and the People's Republic of China in Ladakh.

Similarly, the Australian government too came up with an advisory wherein it has advised against all travel in J&K. It also mentions that if someone still travels to J&K, they must seek professional security advice.

On Saturday, the government of J&K had asked all the tourists and the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims to leave the valley as soon as possible. The reason for the move, as mentioned by the Indian Army, was an impending terror attack on the Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage.