Kupwara, April 25 (KNS): Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) MLA Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi on Saturday visited the ancient Sharda temple complex at Teetwal in north Kashmir, reiterated his party’s demand for the reopening of the historic Sharda Peeth temple in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
In a statement issued to news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) , The legislator, who was on his fifth visit to the shrine and his first after becoming an MLA, was received at the site by Ravinder Pandita, chairman of the Save Sharda Committee, along with coordinator Ajaz Khan, Mahaveer Thussu, and a large number of locals.
During the visit, Mehdi crossed over to the observation bridge near the LoC and made a strong pitch for the revival of cross-LoC travel for pilgrims to Sharda Peeth – a demand that was part of the PDP’s manifesto for the last assembly elections.
"Reopening Sharda Peeth is not just a religious aspiration but a cultural and civilisational imperative.
Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelIt was a poll promise, and I will continue to raise this issue on every platform," Mehdi said while addressing the gathering.
Earlier in the day, a large group of students from the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKAUST) also visited the site. Pandita briefed the students about the historical significance of the reclaimed heritage complex, which houses both a temple and a gurdwara in the border village.
The students took keen interest in the history of the complex, which has emerged as a symbol of cross-border heritage activism in recent years.
The Sharda temple in PoK’s Neelum Valley, once a renowned seat of Sanskrit learning, has remained inaccessible to Indian pilgrims since the partition of 1947. The Save Sharda Committee has been campaigning for a corridor similar to the Kartarpur Sahib corridor the statement further reads. (KNS)