Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday launched a veiled critique of the BJP-led Centre’s portrayal of tourism as a barometer for peace in Kashmir, subtly conveying his message against the “politicisation” of normalcy by chairing a cabinet meeting in terrorism-scarred Pahalgam for the first time.
Pahalgam on Tuesday bustled with some positive energy for the first time since the April 22 massacre of tourists as Omar held the meeting with his ministers and also met tourism stakeholders while his father, National Conference veteran Farooq Abdullah, played golf nearby.
The avowed purpose of the meeting was to send a message to militants that Omar’s government was not intimidated, and a broader signal that Kashmir was again open for visitors.
“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 enemies of peace will never dictate our resolve. Jammu & Kashmir stands firm, strong and unafraid,” Omar wrote on X.
Addressing a media conference later, the chief minister said holding the meeting in Pahalgam would give a sense of security to tourists and send across the message that the Valley was welcoming visitors again. He and some of his colleagues cycled through the Pahalgam market.
Omar appeared to take a swipe at the Centre’s all-is-well narrative. For years, the Centre and lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha’s administration have never missed an opportunity to connect tourism and militancy and link the “positive developments” in Kashmir to the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
“I believe tourism should remain a conflict-neutral activity. For us, it is an economic activity, a means for people to make a living. Unfortunately, time and again, it has been entangled in politics, but my government’s full effort will be to insulate tourism from the situation here. We want the world to see Jammu and Kashmir tourism as an economic activity, instead of anything else,” Omar said.
At the same time, he rejected insinuations that the Pahalgam attack could have been a result of political statements made since 2019 linking tourism to normalcy.
“I am not saying that. I am saying that this has been my personal experience when I served as chief minister for six years (from 2008 to 2014),” he said in reply to a pointed question.
Dozens of tourist haunts in Kashmir are now out of bounds after the LG’s administration restricted movement in these places. Although the Pahalgam market is open for tourists, all the gardens around it are shut.
Omar said 48 tourist destinations were closed to visitors after the attack but it was time that the list was pruned. “(The re-opening of these places) is perhaps the most important question,” he said, expressing surprise that they were still shut. “I personally believe that if you have to shut the tulip garden (in Srinagar), you will have to shut the whole of Kashmir.”
The chief minister complained that while his government was responsible for the tourism industry, the security of tourists was not in his hands, pointing to the dual control system that gives the power of enforcing law and order to the LG’s administration.