Verinag, Jamia Masjid among 48 tourist spots shut in Kashmir after Pahalgam terror attack: Report

Pahalgam Terror Attack: The Jammu and Kashmir government has shut 48 out of 87 tourist destinations across Kashmir Valley after intelligence agencies warned of the possibility of more terror attacks, news agency Reuters reported on Tuesday, April 29.

There is no official confirmation of the report, though.

Based on a government order reviewed by Reuters, more than half of the tourist destinations in the Kashmir region have been closed to the public from Tuesday in a bid to tighten security after last week’s attack on holiday-makers.

Famous tourist destinations that have been shut down for not having ‘adequate’ security presence include the Gurez valley, Dodapathri, Verinag, the Bangus valley and Yusmarg. 

What is closed? 

While Gurez is a valley on the Line of Control (LoC) in Bandipora district, Dodapathri is a meadow aout 40 kilometres from Srinagar.  The Bangus valley is in Kupwara while Verinag, known for its spring, is in Anantnag, South Kashmir.

The government has also decided to close Kousarnag, a high-altitude lake in south Kashmir’s Shopian, for tourists. 

In Srinagar, the government will not allow the tourists to visit Jamia Masjid — the grand mosque in Nowhatta area of old city. 

Srinagar’s popular Badamwari garden which gets its name from among trees stood locked on Tuesday.

Pahalgam, Gulmarg Remain Open

The Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists, was carried out in the Baisaran meadow of the fabled hill resort on April 22, a day when United States Vice President JD Vance was in India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a state visit to Saudi Arabia.

So far, three attackers believed to be behind the attack have been identified. India decided to downgrade diplomatic ties with Pakistan in view of cross-border links to the Pahalgam terrorist attack. The decisions were taken in the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 23.

Among the moves, India shut the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari in Amritsar along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab immediately. India also decided to suspend the Indus water treaty until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.

Pakistan, which has denied involvement in the attack, responded with countermeasures as the militaries of both countries remain on high alert with widespread reports suggesting a possibility of punitive strikes by India in response to April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

‘No time period for shutting tourist sites’

No time period was given, the Reuters said about the decision to shut the tourist spots.

Kashmir had been witnessing a rising tide in tourism as violence had declined in last few years. But the Pahalgam terror attack triggered widespread cancellations by tourists, affecting advance bookings. At least 13 lakh bookings scheduled in August have been cancelled across the valley, Babar Chaudhary, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Hotels and Restaurants Association, told the media in Srinagar.

The association represents around 240 hotels and restaurants. From April to August, over 25 lakh tourists usually visit Kashmir. This year, at least 90 per cent of them won’t come because of the fear, Chaudhary said.

In the last few days, amid escalating tensions between the two neighbours, firing has also increased along the 740-km (460-mile) de facto border separating the Indian and Pakistani areas of Kashmir.

On April 29, for the fifth consecutive day, the Indian army said it had responded to “unprovoked” small arms fire from multiple Pakistan army posts around midnight.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Reuters on Monday that a military incursion by India was imminent and it had reinforced its forces in preparation.