Srinagar: On April 22, 2025, the world was shocked when a dastardly terrorist attack ripped through the quaint Baisaran meadow in J-K’s Pahalgam, snuffing out 26 innocent lives, mostly tourists.
The brutal attack carried out by Lashkar-e-Toiba cadres led to an exodus of tourists from Kashmir, prompting the authorities to shut nearly 50 tourist spots in Jammu and Kashmir before reopening some of those in a phased manner after a security audit.
Now, about a year down the line, the famed meadows of Pahalgam are once again buzzing with tourist activity, with none ruing their decision to visit the ‘Mini Switzerland’ in Anantnag district that is overcoming the shadow of last year's terror attack.
“It feels really good to be here. I never imagined such vast plains at this altitude. We've been to Manali, Gangtok, and the Northeast, but we didn't expect such open grounds here. The security arrangements are excellent,” Ashutosh Kosaria from Chhattisgarh told PTI Videos.
Coming from a state hounded by Left-Wing Extremism not so long ago, Kosaria understands the heavy presence of security forces in Pahalgam.
“We’re from Chhattisgarh. We have seen the Army in Bastar. It's the same here. We faced no problems at all,” he said.
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Amaan Imran from Rajasthan said the Pahalgam incident did not make much of a difference when he decided to visit the Valley.
“The place itself is beautiful. The security arrangements are excellent. There are Army posts at short distances. There's nothing to be scared of,” Imran said.
Tourists have started returning to the Valley after an improvement in the security situation, reopening of many tourist sites, inauguration of the Vande Bharat train from Katra to Srinagar and successful completion of the Amarnath Yatra last year.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
