Hope and Fear when tourists return to the moon after the attack

A week after the devastating militant attack near the mountain resort of the mountain in Kashmir, 26 people were killed in Indian, the city wears the appearance of quiet devastation, although tourists began to retreat in small numbers.

Last week, the main high street, abandoned by visitors – is completely emptied with shops and hotels – again seeing fleeting signs of life.

Last Tuesday, the militants opened fire on people, mostly tourists who visited the bysaran, on the mountain upper meadow in three miles (5 km) from the moon, often called “Switzerland of India”.

The attack was one of the most deadly in recent years, destroying the lives of many families and causing widespread anger in India.

In those days, since then the tensions between India and Pakistan, which both claim that Kashmir is in full, but introduced it only partly, significantly rose, with each side announced the stop of measures against others.

Now there is a growing assumption of whether there will be a military response from Delhi.

While violence often crashed in the region, and militants aimed at security and civilians, after the uprising began in 1989, brazen murder of tourists was rare and shocked by local enterprises and tourists.

Tourism is the basis of the economy in places such as the moonshine, and now it is afraid that many livelihoods can be irrevocably affected.

At Selfie -Punnza outside the city, overlooking the magnificent meadows and the high -speed river, a tourist from Mumbai Aksha Salanka, said that Panica was the day. But they decided to continue their journey because the flights were unavailable.

Other tourists say that the constant assurances of the locals and security forces gave them a sense of comfort. The driver who brought visitors from the capital, Schrinar, told the BBC Hindi that he asks those who do not visit the “distance” from Kashmir.

After the washing three days, the seller Shola Rafi Ahmed said he was able to sell just a few pieces and was afraid for his existence in the end when the tourists stopped coming.

Among those who urged tourists to come to the funeral, was the Bollywood actor Atuli Kulkarni, who visited the city a few days after the attack. He said BBC Hindi when the militants’ message was: “Don’t come here, we must answer when you come even more.”

“Do not cancel the order, cancel other plans and come here,” Kulkari said.

But uncertainty and caution stand in the mooning, and this may take several years before the feeling of normality is restored, local business owners and BBC residents said.

Indian authorities launched combing operations in the region, detaining hundreds of people and destroying houses belonging to alleged militants.

India and Pakistan also reportedly exchanged small arms across the border.

Escalation in tensions is the content of tourists and business owners on TenterHooks.

Indian authorities often claim that Kashmir has witnessed a relative peace period after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government withdrew its autonomous status in 2019. On the eve of the general election of India in 2024, Modi welcomed Freedom, which came to the region, saying that Kashmir had affected new heights of development because it was free to breathe.

The best leaders indicated a large number of tourism – about 23 million last year and millions before that – as proof of the great boom after many years of uncertain. But the attacks last week, again, smashed any idea of ​​lasting peace in the Restive Valley.

“This (attack) is a proportion … As we wipe it, it is a long-term concern,” said Rafi Ahmed Measures, a BBC Hindi Power, calling on tourists to remember that local Kashmiris rushed to the rescue after the attacks, even collecting the body.

The cancellation coefficient for trips planned in such cities, such as Pune, Mumbai and Bengalur, is very high, BBC reported by Zabhishak Sansar, based in Mumbai. At a press conference, a group of famous tour operators said that about 80-90% of all orders were canceled.

“After the attack, it makes sense that the war was hanging. Thus, tourists are confused in what to do,” Sansar said. “Some of those who have already made previous orders go forward with their plans. I am also going there 2 next month.”

A attack on tourists can also weigh cashmere in other ways. The inauguration of the highest railway bridge in the world, which connects to the Kashmir Valley connection with the rest of India, occurred this month after several delay.

The opening time of this project Showpiece is now “looks uncertain,” the BBC source said.

The region has just begun to attract young business investments, but they could also dry when the hostilities rise.

“People who invest in logistics and other sectors will now think twice from the safety environment. Until they have returned some confidence, I do not provide investments coming to Kashmir at once,” said the Shahu, who owns one of the largest cold storage facilities.

As the region continues to rush, local leaders expressed deep longing for the families who lost their loved ones.

In a terrible speech at the Jammo and Kashmir Assembly on Monday, the Secretary of State and Tourism Minister Omar Abdula paid tribute to the victims by reading the names of all 26 people.

He said that people from each part of the country were attacked, and when they came to Kashmir at his invitation, he could not provide their safe return.

“I didn’t have any words to apologize to them. What could I tell the children who saw their father bleeding? Add from the Navy officer who was married a few days ago?

“Some people told me that they would come to Kashmir for the first time, but they will have to pay for their festive life,” he said, adding that the attack “gave” Kashmir.