‘Not intimidated by cowardly acts of terror’: Omar holds Cabinet meet in Pahalgam
Omar holds meeting in Pahalgam to show solidarity with residents and send strong message; Farooq urges MEA to get negative travel advisories removed
Slightly more a month after the deadly April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, the Abdullahs are trying their best to show the world that all’s well with Kashmir again and tourists can return to the Valley.
On Tuesday (May 27), Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah held a special Cabinet meeting in Pahalgam to give a clear message that the government will not be “intimidated by cowardly acts of terror”.
‘J-K stands firm, strong, and unafraid’
After the meeting, the chief minister’s office posted on X pictures of the meeting held at the Pahalgam club.
“Chaired a Cabinet Meeting at Pahalgam today. It was not just a routine administrative exercise, but a clear message — we are not intimidated by cowardly acts of terror,” the CMO said on X.
“The enemies of peace will never dictate our resolve. Jammu and Kashmir stands firm, strong, and unafraid,” it said.
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‘Get negative travel advisories lifted’
During the day, his father and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah also urged the Ministry of External Affairs to get negative travel advisories issued by some countries against travelling to Jammu and Kashmir, claiming the atmosphere of fear has significantly reduced.
The senior Abdulah also said that it was the right time for the Centre and foreign minister to urge foreign countries to lift the negative travel advisories against J-K following the Pahalgam attack.
Omar continues his tradition
Omar Abdullah, during his first stint as the chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir from 2009-14, had held Cabinet meetings in remote areas near the border, such as Gurez, Machil, Tangdhar areas of north Kashmir and Rajouri and Poonch areas of Jammu region.
But this is the first time the Cabinet meeting took place outside the usual summer capital, Srinagar, or winter capital, Jammu, during this government’s tenure.
Why choose Pahalgam?
The choice of Pahalgam aims to show solidarity with the residents of the tourist town, which has experienced a sharp decline in tourist footfall since a devastating April 22 terror attack that resulted in the deaths of 26 people, mostly tourists.
Officials stressed that the gathering’s significance lies more in its direct message to anti-national and anti-social elements that violence has no place in Jammu and Kashmir.
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Dual approach
The decision to hold a special Cabinet meeting also comes three days after Abdullah on Saturday proposed a dual approach to resuscitate Jammu and Kashmir tourism sector, severely impacted by the Pahalgam terror attack, urging the Centre to mandate PSUs to hold meetings in Kashmir and to convene parliamentary committee meetings there.
He had made this appeal at the Governing Council meeting of the NITI Aayog under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Resolution in Assembly
The chief minister believes that these concerted efforts by the government will significantly alleviate public fears, foster a renewed sense of security and trust, and ultimately pave the way for the revival of tourism in the Kashmir valley, bringing much-needed economic relief and a return to normalcy.
The Jammu and Kashmir government had held a special day-long assembly session in Jammu on April 28 and unanimously passed a resolution against the Pahalgam terrorist attack and resolved to fight resolutely to defeat the nefarious designs to disturb communal harmony and hinder progress.
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Hope for peace to continue
Farooq Abdullah said the special Cabinet meeting in Pahalgam was not just a formality, but was aimed at sending a strong message that “terrorism and bloodshed will not stop tourism” in J-K.
In an apparent reference to Pakistan, he said peace has returned to “both countries”, adding he was hopeful that it would remain peaceful in the long run also.
“Peace has come to both the countries and we are hopeful that peace will continue in the future as well. They should also be given permission to come here as they also want to see this place. Many of them are golfers and I hope they will come,” he said, as quoted by PTI.
Farooq Abdullah plays golf at a Pahalgam resort on Tuesday | PTI
Pitch for golf
Farooq visited a tourist resort and played golf at the Pahalgam Golf Course along with some friends. He said many people play golf and the game has now got a place in Khelo India games as well.
“It is played in Olympics, Commonwealth games and Asian Games, so, now there is a need to have it everywhere. I think our people should come here in large numbers, play this sport so that India gets medals in these games,” he added.
‘Fear is now leaving’
Referring to Kashmir’s natural beauty, Abdullah said that he had travelled to various places in the world, but had never seen such beauty anywhere.
“There was an atmosphere for fear, but I feel now the atmosphere of fear has reduced to a large extent. You can see how many people are coming to Pahalgam. I was in Gulmarg, there were 400-500 tourists,” he observed.
“Thank God, the fear is now leaving. The government has also taken some steps to make the security system stronger. I think the people should come,” he added.
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‘Amarnath Yatra crucial for us’
On the annual Amarnath Yatra scheduled to begin on July 3, Farooq said the pilgrimage is very important for Kashmiris.
“It has been going on for many years. I hope more and pilgrims will come here to have a glimpse of Shankar Bhagvan, Bhole Nath comfortably, and then tell people back home how beautiful this place is,” he said.
(With agency inputs)