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The visitors were either those who had already reached the valley on the day of the Pahalgam attack or were scheduled to arrive the next day
(Clockwise from left) The usually crowded Pahalgam market, restaurant and Maggi Spot wore a deserted look. (Syed Aabid Shafi/News18)
The Khanabal-Pahalgam road, locally known as KP road, in South Kashmir’s Anantnag wore a deserted look on Sunday, five days after the Baisaran terror attack.
The sight was a far cry from the hustle and bustle usually witnessed on the weekends, especially during the peak tourist season in Kashmir valley.
Usually, Sundays see taxis and tourists’ cabs zipping up and down the 42-kilometre-long road that starts from Khanabal, the starting point of Anantnag town, to the Pahalgam resort town.
However, days after the April 22 dastardly terrorist attack in Pahalgam’s Baisaran meadow that left 26 dead, the scenes on KP road were markedly different. The mood was sombre, there was a sense of heightened security in the air, and only a few vehicles made the journey to Pahalgam. The visitors were either those who had already reached the valley on the day of the Pahalgam attack or were scheduled to arrive the next day.
In Pahalgam, the sense of loss and helplessness was writ large on locals, shopkeepers, cab drivers, or anyone associated with the tourism industry here.
At the ‘selfie point’, a famous tourist spot just a short distance from the main Pahalgam town, visitors can be seen casually lounging by the banks of the Lidder river, looking almost undeterred by the recent events that have unfolded here.
Samay Jain, a 15-year-old, is visiting Kashmir with his parents from Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. They were here to celebrate his parents’ wedding anniversary and reached Kashmir on April 23, the day after the attack.
When asked them if they thought of cancelling their trip due to fear of terrorists, their 15-year-old son Samay said, “What’s there to fear? If we fear, they will start a war. (Kahe ko darna? Darenge toh woh war karenge).”
His mother, Preeti Jain, said they are eager to trek to Baisaran meadow, but it has been kept out of bounds for visitors. “They shouldn’t close the meadow. What message are they giving? Terrorists will feel that people are scared.”
Her husband, Rajesh Jain, believed that the attack in Baisaran was aimed at derailing the upcoming Amarnath Yatra. The couple from Madhya Pradesh were also mindful of the reports regarding the targeting of Kashmir students living outside the union Territory. “Whatever is happening, people are targeting Kashmiris outside. It shouldn’t happen,” Rajesh says.
A tourist from Mumbai, who wished not to be identified, said by “visiting Pahalgam at this time, you are also sending out a message”. He arrived in Kashmir on April 22, but decided to stay back despite some of his group members returning home amid security concerns. “It’s not like that such incidents don’t happen anywhere. Terror has also struck Mumbai, tourists should come. (Mumbai mein bhi hua. Tourists ko aana chahiye).”
He was accompanied by his family and those of his friend who happens to be a Mumbai police officer. “Being in the police, I am not really scared, but yes since I am visiting with my family, there is a bit of worry”.
Among the few tourists visiting Pahalgam were some foreign nationals. They seemed unperturbed by the recent incident and continued to explore its markets. “It feels eerie”, said a tourist from England, who identified herself as Angel Ruane. “I had already planned to visit Kashmir. I lied to my mum,” she said, noting that her mother had advised her against visiting the valley.
After the attack in Pahalgam last week, the United Kingdom issued an advisory, asking its citizens not to travel within 10 km of India and Pakistan’s border areas due to rising tensions between the two neighbours. The advisory specifically asked UK nationals not to travel to Pahalgam and Srinagar.
However, Ruane said that “conflict intrigued me but didn’t expect it to be this level of crazy conflict”.
BUSINESS TAKES A HIT
Meanwhile, hotel and restaurant owners in Pahalgam rue the loss of business. With Pahalgam almost emptied, the hotel vacancy is now almost 100%, a hotel receptionist told News18.
“Only media persons are here, we have given some rooms to them. Once they leave, we’ll have no guests here,” said the receptionist who wished not to be named, adding that he is not hopeful for the season to pick up again. “All our rooms were booked till June. We are now initiating refunds as tourists are cancelling their trips”.
The hotel also runs a restaurant known for its north Indian vegetarian food. On a regular day, it would be hard to spot an empty table, especially at lunchtime. On Sunday afternoon, there were no customers. Most of the staff, the reception said, has been sent on unpaid leave until business gets better.
“We don’t know if the tourist season will pick up again this year. Perhaps, it will take a few years to get things back in shape,” he added. “Our 99% business is down”, says Mudasir Ahmad, who runs a small ‘Maggi Point’ by the road to Pahalgam. He lives in a nearby village and has been running the makeshift kiosk for 4 years now. “I used to make Rs 800-1,000 a day. Now I am passing my time here. There are no visitors.” He too paints a grim outlook on the future, saying, “I can’t say if things can become normal again.”
Like Mudasir, Rubeena, 15, known as the ‘Rabbit Girl of Kashmir’ for offering her pet bunny to tourists for a few rupees per photo, has suffered a loss of business. She would usually earn about Rs 1,000-1,500 a day, with income shooting up on weekends due to heavy tourist footfalls.
However, she had only made about Rs 200 by the late afternoon of Sunday, underlining the blow that Pahalgam’s tourism has suffered.
- Location :
Pahalgam, India, India
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