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Journalism of Courage
With the Pahalgam terror attack raising doubts about the narrative of a “safe Jammu and Kashmir” since the abrogation of Article 370, the BJP has begun a campaign to reach out to local businessmen as well as tourists to dispel their fears and concerns about safety and security.
BJP leaders said a comprehensive, though currently muted, campaign to dispel safety concerns was underway amid an exodus of tourists from the Valley in the aftermath of the attack in which 25 tourists and a local were killed. “The campaign is likely to be stepped up in the coming days,” said a leader.
Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Sat Paul Sharma told The Indian Express that the post-Article 370 period not only “gave a sense of safety and security” but “an overall good atmosphere prevailed regarding the tourism sector”.
“More measures will be taken to dispel concerns regarding safety and discussions on these measures are ongoing, especially in connection with the annual Shankaracharya temple pilgrimage in Srinagar, scheduled to start on May 1,” he said.
Sharma said Pakistan could not “digest prosperity in the Valley” and termed the Pahalgam attack an “attempt to dent the spurt in positivity and prosperity that was brought to the life of every average citizen in the Valley”.
On Saturday, Sharma chaired a meeting on the Centre’s “Ek Bharat, Shresth Bharat (One India, Best India)” programme. According to party insiders, at the meeting, Sharma emphasised the need for “structured cultural exchanges, language learning drives, student interactions and tourism promotion” to foster a “spirit of mutual understanding and respect” among people from different states to create a “robust emotional connect” among the country’s citizens.
Modi, too, said on Sunday in his monthly “Mann ki Baat” radio programme that the Pahalgam attack shows the “desperation of the patrons of terrorism”. “At a time when peace was returning to Kashmir, there was a vibrancy in schools and colleges, construction work had gained unprecedented pace, democracy was getting stronger, the number of tourists was increasing at a record rate, people’s income was increasing, new opportunities were being created for the youth. The enemies of the country, the enemies of Jammu and Kashmir, did not like that. The terrorists and the masterminds of terror want Kashmir to be destroyed again, and hence, they executed such a big conspiracy,” the PM said.
BJP’s Srinagar district president Sheikh Salman said he was leading efforts to rebuild confidence among businessmen, the remaining tourists, and also those who may be planning to visit the Valley in the near future. “In addition to the door-to-door contact programme with hotels, shopkeepers and other businesses, the party is especially focusing on holding dialogue with businesses in the vicinity of the Dal Lake,” he said, adding that the local taxi association and houseboat operators and market associations had been “reassured”.
Claiming that he was personally speaking to the remaining tourists in the area, Salman said, “Tourism is the backbone of our economy, our bread and butter. We will not let this horrific act and the fear it was meant to instill hamper the peace and prosperity in the UT.”
While the Opposition has pledged unconditional support to the Centre in whatever actions it may take against the perpetrators of the attack and their handlers, several of its leaders have questioned the government, saying the attack pointed to “lapses” in security and intelligence. These questions were also raised at the all-party meeting that the government convened in Delhi on April 24.
“Tourists have said there were no security checks there (Pahalgam) this time. There was no security at Baisaran. If Jammu and Kashmir Police was there or someone in uniform, the attackers would have faced some challenge. Previously, there used to be Army patrol there besides the CRPF deployment, and the J&K Police also used to move around there,” Congress Legislature Party leader in J&K Ghulam Ahmad Mir told The Indian Express in a recent interview.
Asked about how the trust of tourists could be regained, he said, “Tourists love Kashmir and Kashmiri people love them… I can confidently say that such acts (Pahalgam attack) are not supported by anyone in Kashmir, be it of any age group.”
Importance of tourism
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah emphasised the importance of tourism for the Union Territory in his Budget speech in March, saying that “it is deeply ingrained in the culture and economy”.
Abdullah said the UT’s status as a “premier destination” was reaffirmed after a record 2.36 crore tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir last year. “The tourism sector, which has been granted industry status, has seen strong growth. The UT will develop new master plans for key tourist destinations like Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonmarg while enhancing infrastructure and amenities in new tourist hubs,” the CM said in the speech.
Allocating Rs 390.2 crore to tourism in the Budget, Abdullah said his government’s goal was to increase tourism’s contribution to the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) from the current 7% to at least 15% over the next four to five years.
