'Kashmir safe for tourists': Omar asks Centre to act against those behind 'boycott Kashmir'

Omar Abdullah, the Chief Minister of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, announced that Kashmir is safe, and urged people to visit the state as tourists again. He was seen on Tuesday (May 27) cycling through places like Pahalgam, where the April 22 attack took place, to bolster support for tourism.

He even went on a cable car ride in Gulmarg on Wednesday (May 28). He said that his aim was to revive the tourist season and bring back people to the picturesque valley.

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Abdullah chaired a meeting of administrative secretaries in Gulmarg, attended by his cabinet ministers. Holding such a meeting in Gulmarg was a symbolic gesture by the union territory to infuse confidence among people across the country to visit J&K.

In fact, the tourism sector across J&K suffered a huge setback after the Baisaran attack on April 22. Officials said 85 per cent of visitors have cancelled their visits following the attack, and that it is very difficult to revive the sector.

'Take strictest action'

The visits by Abdullah were also a counter to the "don't go to Kashmir" narrative and the "boycott Kashmir" campaign being run by some.

"Terrorists also want this, that you don't go to Kashmir. Those people are enemies of this country. They are not only enemies of Kashmir, they are enemies of the country. Of India. They are enemies of India who are running such a campaign. Because they are doing the same work as the terrorists did on April 22," the chief minister told NDTV.

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"This Boycott Kashmir campaign is to strengthen the hands of those people. And if these people want to do this, then let them do it. But I would like the central government to use its agencies and identify which people and which forces are running the boycott Kashmir campaign and take the strictest action against them," Abdullah said.

Meeting with tour operators

Earlier on Wednesday, Abdullah took his council of ministers and the whole administrative set up to a picturesque resort in north Kashmir's Baramulla district for a meeting aimed at negating the perception of fear in the Valley. This came a day after a meeting of the council of ministers at a resort in south Kashmir's Pahalgam.

"Tourism should gradually get a revival and this is our hope and this is our effort," he said after meeting tour operators from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi.

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The chief minister said he thought there would be only 20 tour operators in the meeting, but that number rose to 70.

"We have come to thank the tourists who are associated with our tourism industry, to boost their morale and to send a message that the April 22 attack will not derail us from our mission," the chief minister underlined.

'Don't punish Kashmiris'

Facing tough questions on social media campaigns, including severe criticisms from right-wing groups seeking a boycott of Kashmir, Omar warned against punishing the people of Jammu and Kashmir for no mistake of theirs.

"The people of Kashmir did not carry out the attack, the people of Kashmir did not drive out the tourists. This attack did not happen with our permission or for our benefit. Kashmiris spoke in one voice after April 22 and said 'not in our name' and we are not in favour of the attack," he explained.

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"After that, if you punish the people of Kashmir and talk about boycotting them, then I am sorry, if God forbid we have another such attack, who will come out to condemn it? If we are held guilty even after condemning it, then what should we do?" Omar told reporters in Gulmarg.

He asked the Centre to investigate further into these incitements to ensure that Jammu and Kashmir is not impacted heavily.

Omar also put forward the point to native Kashmiris, saying that they should start visiting tourist spots themselves before expecting people from other parts of the country to come again. He said he had asked his education minister to facilitate picnics and excursions by schools and colleges so that Kashmir starts moving towards normalcy.

No rift with Raj Bhavan

On Tuesday, Omar took a jibe at the administration of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, calling it the third unelected government in Jammu and Kashmir, in addition to his elected government and the central government.

But Omar played down any and all reports of a rift with the Raj Bhavan, saying, "You only require a thaw if there was a freezing in relations. When have you heard me alleging a freeze? I am just stating that going ahead, we need to work together."

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"Whose responsibility is security? The lieutenant governor. Clearly, there are three, sort of, power centres that need to coordinate to ensure things go smoothly here. I can promote tourism, create infrastructure for tourism. I can ensure tourists come and have a good visit, but the security of tourists currently resides in the power of the lieutenant governor," said Abdullah.

Work together to prevent further attacks

Omar finally emphasised that this is the main motivator for the lieutenant-governor's administration and his government to work together, to ensure that a dastardly attack like the one in Pahalgam never happened again.

On the coordination between the UT government and the Raj Bhavan, Abdullah said security and law and order is not the responsibility of the government but falls under the purview of the lieutenant governor.

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On April 22, terrorists attacked holidaymakers enjoying themselves at the picturesque Pahalgam, a lush valley beneath the snowcapped Himalayan peaks. Survivors said the attackers separated the men, asked several about their religion, and shot them at close range. All 26 killed were Indian nationals, except one from Nepal. Most were Hindus. One was a Kashmiri Muslim who gave horse rides for tourists.

India retaliated through "Operation Sindoor", hitting several terrorist installations and infrastructure inside Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir.