Srinagar: In the wake of the brutal attack on tourists in Pahalgam’s Baisaran meadow, the Jammu and Kashmir government has announced the closure of 48 tourist destinations across the Valley. This move comes amid heightened security concerns and a sharp decline in tourist footfall, news agency IANS reported.
According to the report, the Valley has a total of 87 tourist destinations, out of which nearly half have now been temporarily shut. The horrific attack left 25 people dead, including a Nepali national and a local Kashmiri man who fought with the attacker to save tourists.
Among the closed destinations are Yousmarg, Doodhpathri, Aharbal, Bangus, Kousarnag, Sinthan Top, Verinag Garden, Margantop, Naranag, Akad Park, Dachigam (beyond Trout Farm), and several others, as per the list accessed by IANS. Some sites, officials said, have been closed only temporarily, while additional security has been deployed at others that remain open.
The report said that the incident has led to a drop in the number of tourist arrivals at Srinagar airport, impacting the local economy which heavily depends on tourism.
The attack has triggered widespread outrage across India, with leaders and citizens from all communities condemning the killings. The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly passed a unanimous resolution describing the Pahalgam attack as “barbaric, inhumane and an assault on the spirit of Kashmiriyat.”
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi vowed that those behind the attack—including the militants, their handlers, and supporters—would be relentlessly pursued and punished in a manner they “couldn’t imagine.”
