Saw no security personnel from Baisaran to Pahalgam during J-K visit: Pimpri tourists
A day before the terror strike near Pahalgam, a couple from Pimpri-Chinchwad had visited the picturesque Baisaran meadows as part of their tour of Jammu and Kashmir. The couple was shocked to find that along the entire route to Baisaran from Pahalgam, they did not spot a single police or Army personnel.
'On Monday, my wife and I travelled from Pahalgam to Baisaran. Both of us were on two different horses. Baisaran is located atop the mountain. It is about 7 to 10 km from Pahalgam. It took us one and half hour to reach Baisaran from Pahalgan,' said Bashir Sutar, a resident of Akurdi in Pimpri-Chinchwad.
Sutar said the entire road from Pahalgam to Baisaran was full of mud and slush as it had rained the previous day. 'There were tourists on horses going to and fro from Baisaran to Pahalgam. No vehicle or two-wheeler could reach the spot. Tourists either go by foot or on horses.'
Sutar said though there a number of horses taking tourists to Baisaran and back, there were no police personnel to control their movement or provide security. 'No police nor any armed Army personnel were present along the entire length of the road. It was like we had to take care of ourselves. I was constantly looking all around the place,' he said.
Bashir and his wife then reached the meadow around 5.30 pm. 'When we reached the meadow, which is like a mini-Switzerland, there were a lot of tourists from across the country. Some were taking pictures, some were shooting videos, others were having chai-pani. The location is very popular with tourists as even film shootings have taken place here,' he said.
'On the main roads of Srinagar and other places, we saw jawans with AK-47s. But we were suprised to find that there was no security at all. We were wondering whether this place has seen any trouble or not. We thought trouble-makers probably do not reach here as the place is not accessible with vehicles,' he said.
Bashir said when Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the area, there were police and security personnel all over. 'Why was there no security on the way to Baisaran and at the spot? I don't understand this,' he said.
Bashir and his wife had returned to Pahalgam by 7.30 pm on Monday. The next day, they started their journey to Leh and Ladakh. 'However, we had to return as there was heavy traffic and we were told about the terror attack. We immediately became nervous. My wife was scared. We had a lucky escape,' he said.
Bashir and Narin then returned to Srinagar only to find that all flights had been booked. 'We came back 150 km and then found no flight tickets were available. We are staying at a hotel in Srinagar where there are no other couples or tourists. The locals have been very supportive. The hotel staff have also assured us of our safety,' he said.
Bashir, (61), a businessman, said, it was their first visit to Jammu and Kashimir. 'We had been thinking of visiting the place for a long time. For the last one month, we had been planning to visit the place.'
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