Tourism should be conflict neutral and should not be a barometer to project normalcy, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Tuesday after a special cabinet meeting here to give a clear message that the government will not be “intimidated by cowardly acts of terror”.
The chief minister, in his first press conference after the April 22 terror attack at Baisaran meadows in Pahalgam, began by expressing gratitude to people for unequivocally condemning terror violence.
“I want to thank the people of Kashmir especially those of Pahalgam who condemned and stood in one voice against the April 22 terror strike on tourists. For this, I thank them and salute them,” he said.
The chief minister also said that steps are being taken to support the tourism sector by his administration and the Centre especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who held a high-level meeting of stakeholders last week.
“I was in Delhi recently where I had a chance to meet the prime minister on the sidelines of the NITI Aayog meeting. I have apprised him about the condition of the tourism industry in Jammu and Kashmir and he has assured of complete support,” Abdullah said, adding that last week’s meeting at the central level had discussed the broad contours for the revival of tourism.
After the special cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the chief minister’s office posted on X pictures of the meeting held at the Pahalgam Club.
“The cabinet met here and discussed the government agenda but the meeting in cabinet was to demonstrate that the people will not be cowed down by terrorist violence and our resolve for development of Jammu and Kashmir will continue,” he said in his first press conference after the April 22 terror attack in which 26 people, mainly tourists, were gunned down.
In a message on ‘X’, his office posted that 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,” it said.
This is the first time the cabinet meeting took place outside the usual summer capital, Srinagar, or winter capital, Jammu, during Abdullah’s government’s tenure.
To a question on the revival of tourism in Jammu and Kashmir and the closure of various tourist destinations following the April 22 terror attack in Baisaran meadows in Pahalgam, he said the government is taking “one step at a time”.
“The last five to six weeks have been a difficult time for the country, especially for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. So I would suggest we will conduct a security audit of various tourist destinations and gradually start opening them,” he said.
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 the devastating April 22 terror attack.
“Tourism should be a conflict-neutral activity and should not be a barometer to project normalcy. There are many other mechanisms through which we can measure peace. I would always wish to see that tourism is insulated from conflict and the world should see it as an economic activity,” he said.
Replying to a question that various stakeholders had huge loans and whether the government was planning to give them some relief, he said, “Tourism has suffered and talks are already underway with the departments concerned to extend some relief to all stakeholders big or small.”
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.
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 like Gurez, Machil, Tangdhar areas of north Kashmir and Rajouri and Poonch areas of Jammu region.
The decision to hold a special cabinet meeting also comes three days after Abdullah proposed a dual approach to resuscitate the 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.
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.
A special day-long assembly session was also held in Jammu on April 28 which 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.
“The Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir reaffirms its unwavering commitment to foster an environment of peace, development, and inclusive prosperity for all its citizens, and to resolutely defeat the nefarious designs of those who seek to disturb the communal harmony and progress of the nation and of Jammu and Kashmir,” the resolution had said.
Abdullah, in his 26-minute emotional speech, said he would not use the terror attack as an opportunity to press for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that he does not believe in “cheap politics”.
