Omar to press Shah on reopening tourist spots shut after Pahalgam attack

SRINAGAR: J&K CM Omar Abdullah vowed Thursday to press Union home minister Amit Shah to reopen tourist spots sealed after the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack that killed 26 men — 25 most of them visitors.

Addressing Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK) at Gulmarg Convention Centre, Omar told industry stakeholders he would raise their concerns in New Delhi. “On one hand we promote tourism, but on the other, many destinations remain closed. This is one of the biggest challenges in our difficult circumstances,” he said. “When half of Kashmir is shut for tourism, promotion becomes meaningless.”

The CM reeled off examples: “What do we tell the tourists — that you can ride the gondola but the ATV grounds are closed? That you can go to Tangmarg but not to Drung, or that you can come to Pahalgam but not visit Aru and Betab Valley?”

He said such blanket closures had not been enforced even during Kashmir’s worst phases. “I assure you I will speak to the home minister and request him to open these destinations. This will build confidence and help us attract more tourists,” he said.

The CM said every closure fed a negative perception of Kashmir valley. “We must come on one page with central govt, otherwise our efforts at promotion will not succeed.”

The comments came a month after J&K govt sealed Nedous Hotel, a colonial-era property tied to Omar’s grandmother. Referring to that move, Omar said he had once dreamt of a personal hut in Gulmarg but now felt “lucky” it never happened.

“I have been fond of Gulmarg since my childhood. Whenever there were vacations, I would come here to ski,” he said. “One day I asked Nasir sahab (advisor to the CM) to find me a place. He brought me to a gutted hut with an expired lease. Thankfully, it never materialised. People are already defaming us, claiming we have usurped Gulmarg and sold it. If I had actually constructed something here for myself, by now I would have been hanged many times.”

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