Pahalgam, a month after terror attack: ‘One season is too little to heal'

Mint

21-05-2025

Pahalgam: On a May afternoon, as the sun plays hide-and-seek behind the clouds, Nadeem Ahmed enjoys a nap sitting on a chair inside a cabin at the toll plaza in Pahalgam. The fabled hill station in Anantnag is 90 kms south of Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.
On business-as-usual days, Ahmed would be busy all through his nine-hour shift in his capacity as a toll operator at the go-to tourist destination.
But these days are anything but business as usual. Not since 22 April, when terrorists killed 26 people, mostly tourists in Baisaran, a meadow seven kilometres from the toll gate.
Ahmed says he now falls asleep waiting for cars to pass by.
'Az aayi chour gaadi Kalkata pethi. Asi gouv reth pyaran tourist yin na (Today, as the day is about to end, four cars (tourists) from Kolkata (West Bengal) have entered Pahalgam. We have been waiting for tourists since 22 April,' Ahmed told this reporter on 20 May.
The massacre of tourists in Pahalgam was one of the deadliest attacks on Indian civilians in decades.
Since 2019, when the Narendra Modi government revoked Article 370, Jammu and Kashmir's semi autonomous status, tourists have flocked to the Union Territory (UT) during summers to escape the scorching heat in many parts of India.
What a difference a few days make.
'Up to 4,000 taxis would cross this toll daily until 22 April happened. Today we saw the first commercial taxis after so many days,' Ahmed said.
There are reminders everywhere of a tourist haven. After a short drive past the toll gate, one is greeted by a cold breeze from the Lidder River flowing on the left. A succession of lush green pine trees unfolds on the right against pristine mountains.
On a typical May day, the road to the main market would be teeming with cars. That day, it was deserted. The hustle and bustle has been replaced with an uneasy calm. A few metres away is a selfie point bench with an 'I Love Pahalgam' signboard and a wrongly-spelt Persian couplet reading 'Agar Firdous-e-baroye zameen ast' meaning 'If there is heaven on earth…..'
A few metres away is a selfie point bench with an 'I Love Pahalgam' signboard and a wrongly-spelt Persian couplet reading 'Agar Firdous-e-baroye zameen ast' meaning 'If there is heaven on earth…..'
A group of locals sit on the rocks by the river, while a family from Rohini, Delhi, takes selfies.
"Our flights were booked for 11 May. But the Srinagar airport was closed. The travel agent offered us an alternative flight on 18 May after the airports opened. We thought it through and decided to come. We had not imagined that it would be deserted. The silence around brings a strange fear," said Ankit, one of the family members.
In 2024, about 35 lakh tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir, according to the UT's Department of Tourism. The number was 27 lakh in 2023 and 26 lakh in 2022. About 5 lakh tourists visited the region in the first three months of 2025. The Pahalgam terror attack, however, triggered widespread cancellations by tourists, affecting advance bookings.
A few miles from the selfie point is the main market of Pahalgam, a Kashmiri word for 'Valley of Shepherds'. Most of the shops on both sides of the road are closed. The parking, usually packed, is deserted. A few pony owners trot up the hill. Most of the shops on both sides of the main Pahalgam market were closed. The parking, usually packed, is deserted. A few pony owners trot up the hill.
'Aayiye sir, discount dedenge (Come sir, we will offer a discount),' said one of them.
Aru wildlife sanctuary, the scenic Betaab Valley, which got its name after the Sunny Deol-starrer and Tulian Lake are among popular destinations. Baisaran, a picturesque meadow and the site of the deadly 22 April attack, also attracts tourists in good numbers.
Today, Baisaran, Aru and Betaab are not accessible due to security reasons.
A narrow road bisecting lines of hotels and guesthouses up the hill from the market leads up to Laripora village. Considering the demand during the peak summer season, some locals had started converting their homes into homestays.
At Hotel Forest Hill, one of the many hotels on the road, the reception is locked. The caretaker, Asad Kak, sits in an adjacent room. 'Kheli hez bilkul (Absolutely no occupants),' laments Kak, 60, when asked how many of the 20 rooms are booked.
In the entry book, the last entry of any tourist (from Singapore) is on 22 April, the day when terrorists struck Baisaran. The hotel was vacated the next day. At one of the hotels, the last entry of any tourist (from Singapore) is on 22 April, the day when terrorists struck Baisaran. The hotel was vacated the next day.
'We have not seen any tourists since then,' says Kak, recalling the 1995 incident when six foreign tourists were kidnapped in Pahalgam by militants of Harkat-ul-Ansar or Al-Faran. The group sought the release of Harkat leader Masood Azhar and other militants. One tourist had an escape a few days later while another was found dead. The remaining four were never found.
There are around 2,500 hotels and guesthouses in Pahalgam, apart from about 200 restaurants. 'No hotel has a tourist right now,' said Nisar Ahmad, another caretaker of the hotel.
Ahmad says there were some tourists who visited Pahalgam a few days after the terror attack.
'But when 50 tourist sites were closed a few days later, the fear multiplied,' he says. After that, Nisar said, the 'war' started on 7 May on the borders, and drones came into the cities, and the staff fled in fear. Everything came to a standstill again, he says.
Two weeks after the Pahalgam attack, India launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror camps in Pakistan. Islamabad retaliated, resulting in a four-day conflict. The two nations called a ceasefire on 10 May.
On our way back, we stopped at the famous shrine of Aishmuqam, 20 kilometres from Pahalgam towards Srinagar. Situated on a hilltop, the shrine houses the mausoleum of the 15th-century Sufi saint Sheikh Zain-ud-Din. The shrine is also a famous tourist destination where the song Bhar Do Jholi Meri from Salman Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijan movie was shot.
Usually, there is a long queue of devotees to pay obeisance at the mausoleum. But on Tuesday, we were the only ones there, perhaps the last visitors for the day.
Tourism may not be the mainstay, but is a vital contributor to Jammu and Kashmir's economy. 'The hotel industry contributes about ₹ 2,700 crore to Kashmir's economy annually. Assuming a multiplier effect of four times, we may assume tourism contributes ₹ 10,000 crores to the UT's economy. This is about 5 percent of total GSDP estimated at ₹ 2.65 lakh crore,' Ejaz Ayoub, a Srinagar-based economist, told LiveMint. Tourism contributes ₹ 10,000 crores to the UT's economy annually, according to rough estimates.
Mushtaq Chaya, chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Hoteliers Club, said last week that about 30 lakh Kashmiris are directly involved in the tourism sector, with three lakh working in hotels and other tourism-related businesses.
Chaya has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to appeal to tourists to visit the valley. But after a trip from Pahalgam, it seems unlikely that tourists will return anytime soon.
One season is too little (a time) to heal.
'Tourism is dead. It is dead for a long time,' Nisar, the hotel caretaker, says with a sigh. 'It will have it impact for many tourist seasons. One season is too little (a time) to heal.'
(Some names have been changed on request)