Srinagar: With just hours left for India-born conductor Zubin Mehta’s highly anticipated concert in Srinagar’s Shalimar Bagh, there is heavy security in the city. Called Ehsaas-e-Kashmir, the event, a first of its kind in Kashmir, is being organised by German ambassador to India Michael Steiner.

Hundreds of police and military personnel are patrolling the streets of Srinagar, with sharp shooters deployed at strategic locations in the city. Only those carrying special passes will be allowed entry into the concert, expected to be attended by a 1500-strong exclusive audience, including government ministers and diplomats.A militant attack on a CRPF camp in Shopian town, 50 km from Srinagar, has further put the security forces on high alert. Three militants were killed in the attack.

 

The concert has already hit a controversial note with Kashmiri separatists calling it an attempt to digress from the human rights violations in the state. The separatists have called for a total shutdown of Srinagar in protest. 77-year-old Mr Mehta reached out to the separatists yesterday, saying, “I didn’t choose Kashmir, Kashmir chose me. Music is the message of peace, and music only brings peace.”

Accusing the separatists of hypocrisy, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, “These (separatists) people are selective… If music is against the issue of Kashmir, how come Junoon came and performed here,” said Mr Abdullah. ‘Junoon’, a Pakistani band had performed in the city in May 2008.