From across country, 60-member group of tour operators embarks on ‘solidarity' tour of Kashmir
This is the first group of tour operators from outside Jammu and Kashmir to visit the Valley after the April 22 terror attack in which 25 tourists and a local man were shot dead in Pahalgam. The visit is expected to give a push to the government's plans to revive tourism.
The government is also planning to set up a memorial for those killed in the terror attack.
The visitors include representatives of 26 major tour operators and are led by Maharashtra-based Abhijeet Patil, who met CM Omar Abdullah in Pahalgam on Tuesday.
'This tour is more of a solidarity trip with the people of Kashmir to celebrate bonhomie,' Patil, from Raja Rani Travels, told The Indian Express. 'After the (Pahalgam) attack, we saw how the people spontaneously condemned it. We thought we also need to stand by them,' he said.
Patil said that tour operators from Maharashtra had reached out to the Chief Minister after the attack. 'Initially, we were 10-12 operators. But then it went up, and today we are 60 members here (in Pahalgam),' he said. 'The entire travel industry is being represented, and it is beyond our expectations. We wanted to show solidarity with the people of Kashmir and send the right kind of message.'
Chief Minister Abdullah, after holding a Cabinet meeting in Pahalgam in an effort to instil confidence in tourists, interacted with tourism stakeholders from the Valley as well as the tour operators from outside J&K.
'In my mind, the most important thing is, it is very heartening that this initiative came from them. They said they want to come,' Abdullah said.
Patil said they did not want any assurances from the government, just correct and timely information. 'To be honest, we are here on a friendship trip and we want to build on that,' he said.
In Pahalgam for the Cabinet meeting, Abdullah on Tuesday cycled through town to send a message that the Valley is safe.
The J&K government has decided to set up a memorial for those killed on April 22. The memorial will be set up at the Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, where the tourists were killed.
The J&K government is also planning to participate in tour and travel festivals across the country in its effort to bring tourists back to the Valley.
'We are exploring how best we can participate in the upcoming travel fairs, especially TTF Kolkata and Ahmedabad,' Omar said. 'We are working with stakeholders and tourism officials… We hope that, God willing, with the successful culmination of the Amarnath Yatra, we can tap into some traffic from West Bengal during Puja holidays,' the Chief Minister said.
Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. ... Read More
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The admins, faceless but assertive, post screenshots of traders' profits to create an impression of 'authenticity,' but never the losses. Mixed in are sponsored ads for one-week or one-month stock trading courses. Some promise 'lifetime membership,' others 100% accuracy. The visuals are formulaic but efficient: a green raging bull, men in corporate attire with green candles shooting skywards in the background. Templates featuring Elon Musk or the New York Stock Exchange pop up repeatedly. Groups like 'Banknifty Share Market Traders,' 'Futures and Options Traders,' and 'Stock Market Trading Tips' flood phones with insistent messages. 'These groups are fake, the screenshots are fake, they're edited, and they're just selling a dream — a dream worth crores,' Kumar said. Ritesh, too, had seen these screenshots. He too had believed in similar screenshot dreams. For traders like Ritesh, VS and Sunil, entry into the market is easy. Everyone knows someone who claims to have made lakhs trading. 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Back when the alleged manipulations were taking place, the market began to feel rigged, said traders who spoke to ThePrint. Ritesh and others couldn't explain how, but it seemed as if someone always knew what was coming. SEBI's interim order put some of those suspicions into writing. 'What is, however, unacceptable and illegal, is the use of egregious manipulative practices to create opportunities to manipulate markets, influence and manipulate indices, and artificially profiteer from such moves with their large trading and risk positions in index options markets,' it noted. Also Read: Just 1 month of NEET classes, Rs 1.46 lakh bill. How coaching centres profit from dropouts A fresh start? The Jane Street case has become part of a bigger political hotbutton over how the market is stacked in favour of the heavyweights. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi posted on X that he had warned in 2024 that the F&O market had become a playground for 'big players' while draining small investors' pockets. 'Now SEBI itself is admitting that Jane Street manipulated thousands of crores. Why did SEBI remain silent for so long? At whose behest was the Modi government sitting with its eyes closed?' he asked. मैंने 2024 में साफ कहा था – F&O बाज़ार 'बड़े खिलाड़ियों' का खेल बन चुका है, और छोटे निवेशकों की जेब लगातार कट रही है। अब SEBI खुद मान रहा है कि Jane Street ने हज़ारों करोड़ की manipulation की। SEBI इतने समय तक चुप क्यों रही? मोदी सरकार किसके इशारे पर आंखें मूंदे बैठी थी? और… — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 7, 2025 Last week, the Income Tax department surveyed certain broking firms in what it called a tax evasion probe. SEBI chairperson Tuhin Kanta Pandey defended the regulator's role, stating that agencies work within their own mandates. 'The information is largely in the public domain… What SEBI had to do at the interim stage, has been done,' Pandey told media persons. Some market watchers, however, say the response was too little too late and that SEBI needs to set an example. 'If SEBI's interim order holds fort, the punishment ought to be decisive, exemplary, and unforgiving,' said Bansal. 'But the delayed response allowed the damage to spread. You took 1.5 years to act… while the interim order was appropriate, the final order should be harsher. The market is thriving, we just removed the thieves.' I lost money, but I have clarity now. I know who makes profit, and it's not small traders like me Ritesh, business owner and former F&O trader from Lucknow Fund manager Appala argued, however, that SEBI's action against Jane Street is already yielding dividends. Even as the firm pushed the market to an extreme, the regulators have made corrections. 'Now SEBI and the Finance Ministry are discussing ways to rein in F&O trading, and to strengthen the cash market. Another step they've taken is to limit weekly options expiry to just one per week. It helped bring back sanity,' Appala added. Per NSE's average daily volumes data, equity futures have dropped from Rs 2,09,327 crore in FY25 to Rs 1,68,430 crore in FY26. Equity options have fallen from Rs 71,961 crore to Rs 55,514 crore over the same period. 'The market tells you the participation has reduced,' Appala noted. Among those who have quit stock trading is Ritesh. He once spoke fluently about calls, puts, premiums, and expiry days, but they are no longer part of his daily vocabulary. Only his wife knows how much money he lost. 'She's impatient and taunts me,' he said quietly. 'She asks how much money will I lose now? It stresses me out.' From running a family business started by his parents, he's now building a small bakery business with his wife. Every evening, he packs the orders, and delivers them in his car. He's not entirely immune to new and shiny ways to make money. A few months ago, he nearly spent Rs 97,000 on an AI course until he thought better of it. He says he's rebuilding himself. 'My loss,' he added, 'has been my biggest teacher.' What is taking longer to change is his social media feed. The same influencers, the same promises keep coming up. Since January, he's been unsubscribing from the trading channels he once followed religiously. 'I lost money, but I have clarity now. I know who makes profit, and it's not small traders like me,' he said with a dry laugh. (Edited by Asavari Singh)
