‘Even Locals Not Visiting…': Pahalgam Still Dons Deserted Look A Month After Terror Attack

News18

22-05-2025

Last Updated:
The horrific attack, which claimed the lives of 26 individuals, came as a huge setback for Kashmir's tourism industry.
Pahalgam terror attack: A month after the ghastly terror attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, the locals and small businessmen in the resort town still stare at mounting livelihood losses as the tourist footfall remain extremely low even in the peak season.
The horrific attack, which claimed the lives of 26 individuals, came as a huge setback for Kashmir's tourism industry.
What Locals Are Saying?
A tour operator, Nasir Ahmad, told news agency PTI that even after a month, the place looks desolated.
'The place looks desolate. We used to have thousands of tourists on any given day in Pahalgam, providing livelihood opportunities for everyone — shopkeepers, roadside vendors, ponywallahs, cab drivers and hoteliers," Ahmad said.
He further said that the resort town of Pahalgam had not worn such a deserted look even at the peak of the 1990s' insurgency.
'We used to host local visitors (Kashmiris) and that sustained the economy at the worst of times. However, this time, even local visitors are not coming," he said.
Mohammad Irshad, a shopkeeper, said the situation for those earning a livelihood from tourism had started to turn desperate. 'The government will have to do something. People have not earned a penny in the past month and it cannot go on like this for too long," he added.
ANI, '…My main business pertains to vehicles, which is related to tourism. It has been a month since tourists were killed (in Pahalgam). This should not have happened. What those terrorists did should not have happened. Pahalgam has been deserted since that day. We have all these vehicles, but there is no one to hire them. Still, we are hopeful that tourism will thrive once again in the days to come or next year. We trust the Government 100% that things will get better once again…We are now pinning our hopes on Yatra (Amarnath Yatra), which will help us earn a little. Right now, there are no tourists…I am 55 years old, I have seen militancy. But this is the first time there has been an attack in Pahalgam…This was our misfortune. It should not have happened."
What Happened On April 22?
In one of the biggest attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, four to five Lashkar-linked terrorists descended on the picturesque Baisaran meadows of Pahalgam and opened fire on on tourists on April 22, killing at least 26 people, including foreign tourists, and injuring many others.
The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar offshoot, claimed responsibility for the attack, although it later backtracked after massive global outrage.
India, which had credible intelligence confirming cross-border links to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, launched 'Operation Sindoor' and struck nine terror dens in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7.
The Indian armed forces destroyed multiple camps of terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen, killing more than 100 terrorists.
While several top terrorists have been killed in various operations launched after the terror attack, the terrorists who carried out the massacre have eluded the security forces, officials have said.
(With inputs from agencies)
First Published:
May 22, 2025, 17:24 IST