Pahalgam terror attack triggers fear among tourists

Videos of two distraught young women from Pahalgam, one narrating how the armed terrorists asked names of tourists before shooting them and another pleading a local man to save her husband, have triggered a fear psychosis among tourists and pilgrims in the temple city.

“We have come here to visit Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine but such attacks on hapless tourists do create fear psychosis among them,” said Aman Sharma, a tourist from Ahmedabad, who has come with his wife and two children.

Sharma said that he also saw the disturbing reports and videos on social sites.

“We had planned to visit Pahalgam after visiting Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, but we have now dropped it from our itinerary and will be falling back to Ahmedabad,” he added.

Sharma called the attack a clear case of targetted killings to create fear among the non-local.

Kashmir Resistance, an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed the responsibility of the dastardly attack.

Sharma’s wife Gitanjali, said, “The photograph of a young woman sitting desolate by the body of her husband will haunt me forever. How this young woman will ever forget that she lost her husband for no fault of his,” she said.

She added, “A young man was asked his name by the gun trotting terrorist and then shot in front of his wife is heart wrenching.”

Chairman of All Jammu Hotels and Lodges Association Inderjit Khajuria said that the attack on Pahalgam may cause an adverse impact on the ensuing Amarnath Yatra.

“It has happened at a time when Amarnath Yatra has been announced. The pilgrimage brings us business but this attack may play spoilsport for the tourism industry,” he said.

“In such an atmosphere, who will come here. A single attack fizzles out entire pilgrimage and then it takes months for us to recover”, he added.

Khajuria said that the attack was deliberately carried out ahead of the annual pilgrimage to hit tourism industry.

“I strongly appeal to the Centre that the ensuing pilgrimage be handed over to the army so that there’s no fear among the people”, he said.

However, there has been no adverse impact on footfall at Jammu airport.

An airport official said that the average daily footfall at Jammu Airport was around 6,000 and it remained the same on Tuesday as well.

Meanwhile, Mughal Road that connects Rajouri-Poonch with Shopian in South Kashmir has been closed for traffic following landslides in Pir Ki Gali.

Mohammad Ishfaq, a tourist guide in Srinagar, said, “Attack at a place like Pahalgam, considered to be the safest, has certainly created panic among the tourists.”

“Kashmir was having a good turnout of tourists this season but this attack has spoiled everything. Most of the tourists are now eager to leave Kashmir,” said Ishfaq.

There’s certainly fear among the tourists, he added.