Panicked Tourists Leave Kashmir; Hosts Say They Have Been Devastated

The curse for the terrorists who gunned down 27 tourists and a local at Baisaran, a hilltop green meadow about 5-km from here, on Tuesday comes from Irfan Poswal, a pony walla. For many years, Poswal has been helping tourists to discover the charm of Pahalgam, often called the “Valley of Shepherds”, with pony rides through its stunning landscapes.

He, his two brothers and their father also offer Pony-rides and carry logistics for the Amarnath pilgrims along the 32-kms long trek from Chandanwari near here to the revered cave-shrine tucked away in the Kashmir hills in peak summer.

Today, Poswal and other service providers who insist on being called ‘humble hosts’ instead are shocked beyond disbelief at the horrid murder of innocent tourists. While Poswal and his friend Ghulam Nabi were escorting a group of tourists back to Pahalgam town from Baisaran when the massacre took place, Dilnawaz Parray, another pony walla, said he was about to enter the meadow but on hearing gunshots from a distance he hid himself behind a cluster of pine trees. Soon he saw “utter chaos, with everyone jostling to move out and women and children crying for help”.

According to the witnesses, the gunmen came out of the woods and opened fire at the tourists who were enjoying horseback riding or engaged in other recreational activities in the meadow situated at a height of 2,400 meters (7,874 feet) and dotted with dense pine forests and surrounded by snow capped mountains. After committing the terror act, they fled back into the woods.

No pony walla was ready to offer a ride from here to Baisaran on Wednesday. As the media persons began walking towards the meadow, we were stopped at a makeshift security checkpoint. A police official informed us that the movement towards Baisaran has been restricted for two reasons; Home Minister Amit Shah was visiting the scene of the massacre and, therefore, it has been transformed into a high-security zone.

Secondly, the Army and other security forces have with various surveillance systems such as drones and helicopters moved in to track down the perpetrators. “It is risky to go there. Please, don’t play with your lives. Otherwise also, we have strict instructions not to allow unauthorised persons to relocate there. Please, understand,” he said.

However, after the Home Minister had left, the media persons managed to reach Baisaran where they found a high-tech operation was underway, with aerial and ground surveillance working in tandem in the meadow and surrounding woods. We were advised by the security officials to leave the area as early as possible.

The security agencies have, meanwhile, released sketches of three suspected militants believed to be involved in the attack. The suspects—identified as Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah, and Abu Talha—who are also known by the aliases Moosa, Yunus, and Asif, respectively and were allegedly linked to previous militancy-related activities in the Poonch sector. The sketches were developed based on eyewitness accounts and statements from survivors, several of whom reported seeing the attackers shortly before the incident, the officials.

A picture released by the agencies shows them armed with three AK rifles and an M4 rifle. The officials said that the group is linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and, at least, two are believed to be foreigners and the others are residents of J&K.

The massacre has cast a pall of gloom over the lives of many families and places across the country. Here at Pahalgam, the anger and despair have taken the possession of almost everyone. As Tuesday’s ghastly and unexpected terrorist attack has fanned security fears, tourists are leaving the place.

Anita Bhardwaj, a sales executive from Surat who had along with her elder sister Aadhya and her family reached here from Srinagar at around 11 am on Tuesday and had planned to spend a couple of days here was boarding a cab to return to the Kashmiri capital when this correspondent met them.

“We had planned to go to Baisaran today and to Aru (the last scenic village of the Lidder valley located around 12 km from Pahalgam town) tomorrow and return to Srinagar on Friday. Before coming here, we stayed in a houseboat in (Srinagar’s) Nigeen Lake for two nights and enjoyed visits to Mughal Gardens and Manasbal Lake. We have also booked hotel rooms in Gulmarg. But I think we should return home immediately,” she said.

Reports from Srinagar, Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Doodhpathri and other destinations suggest that Tuesday’s terror attack has prompted tourists to flee Kashmir in mass. It has also led to cancellations of scheduled visits to the scenic Valley. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed sorrow over the panic exit which has also overshadowed the tourism boom touted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a big post abrogation of Article 370 achievement of his government.

Mr. Abdullah in a post on ‘X’ said, “It’s heartbreaking to see the exodus of our guests from the Valley after yesterday’s tragic terror attack in Pahalgam but at the same time we totally understand why people would want to leave”. He said that while the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation are working to organise extra flights, the Srinagar-Jammu highway (NH-44) has been reconnected for traffic in a single direction. He said, “I’ve directed the administration to facilitate traffic between Srinagar and Jammu allowing tourist vehicles to leave.” The vital roadlink between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country had been blocked due to a series of landslides triggered by torrential rains and a devastating cloudburst last week.

The Chief Minister, however, also said that vehicular traffic ought to be controlled and allowed in an organised way “because the road is still unstable in places, and we are also working hard to clear all the stranded vehicles.” He added, “We will not be able to permit completely free movement of vehicles at the moment & we hope that everyone will cooperate with us”.

The Railway authorities have launched a special train from Katra to Delhi to assist stranded passengers and accommodate extra rush following Tuesday’s terror attack. A spokesman of the Northern Railways said that the special train “will play a crucial role in clearing the additional passenger load and ensuring a safe and comfortable journey to New Delhi”.

The DGCA on Wednesday asked airlines to increase the number of flights from Srinagar to facilitate the return of tourists. It also requested the carriers to consider waiving cancellation and rescheduling fees for Srinagar flight tickets. In an advisory, the DGCA said that in the aftermath of the incident in Pahalgam, there is an unexpected demand from tourists seeking to return to their homes.

“In this regard, the airlines are advised to take swift action to increase the number of flights in response to heightened demand and also to ensure uninterrupted connectivity from Srinagar to various destinations across India, facilitating evacuation of stranded tourists,” it said.

The airlines have also been asked to provide all necessary assistance to tourists facing unexpected circumstances and challenges during this difficult time. Air India and IndiGo said they are operating additional flights from Srinagar.