A month after the Pahalgam terror attack, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in a strong message held a Cabinet meeting in the world tourist resort of Pahalgam on Tuesday and asserted that “we won’t be intimidated by the cowardly terror” and violence will not derail J&K’s development agenda.
Omar chaired a special Cabinet meeting in Pahalgam on Tuesday, and it was the first Cabinet meeting that was held outside the twin capitals of Srinagar and Jammu.
“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,” Omar posted on X after the cabinet meeting.
“We did not come to Pahalgam merely to carry out administrative or governmental functions. We came here to show that the bloodshed and violence will not derail our agenda for the development, prosperity, and representation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Omar said while addressing a press conference in Pahalgam after the cabinet meeting.
He praised the people of Kashmir, especially those in Pahalgam, for their resilience.
“Through this meeting, we also wanted to express our gratitude and salute the people of Kashmir, especially the people of Pahalgam, for their courage, unity, and strong stand against violence,” he said.
Omar emphasized the need to keep tourism insulated from conflict
“Tourism should be a conflict-neutral activity. Tourism is an economic activity for us. It is a means of earning money for people. Unfortunately, it has been involved in politics from time to time,” he said.
Omar said that his government would continue efforts to protect and promote tourism purely as an economic enterprise.
“We want the world to see Jammu and Kashmir tourism as an economic activity. We will try to start tourism in Jammu and Kashmir again,” he said.
The CM said that the last 5-6 weeks have not been easy for the country and Jammu and Kashmir.
“Jammu and Kashmir has suffered the most. We have come out of this difficult time. … The government of Jammu and Kashmir will take the necessary steps for revival of tourism and I believe that we will get the support of the central government,” he said
Omar acknowledged the need for a fresh security audit of key tourist destinations in the region, which were closed following the April 22 terror attack in Baisaran Pahalgam.
He hinted at a possible reopening of select locations after thorough security assessments, stressing that fear must not define the region’s tourism future.
The CM said the list of 48 restricted destinations should now be reviewed and potentially reduced.
“We are talking about some parks in Pahalgam. We are talking about Betab Valley, Aru valley ( in Pahalgam) and Thajwas glacier (in Ganderbal)…I believe that if the Tulip Garden in Srinagar is shut then the whole Kashmir needs to be closed,” he remarked.
Omar highlighted the crucial role of the Centre in supporting J&K’s tourism sector, noting recent high-level discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said, “How can you revive tourism without giving a sense of security to the people?”
Asked whether the prime minister will be helping in the revival of tourism, he said, “The Prime Minister has made some strides as well. The Prime Minister chaired a meeting on how to revive tourism in J&K a few days back.”
“Two days back, there was a meeting of the NITI Aayog in Delhi and I got an opportunity to talk to him and we discussed the way to restore tourism. While I cannot share the details here, some concrete steps will be taken by the Centre on that,” he said
This was the 11th Council of Ministers meeting and various agenda items were taken up for discussion and decision.
Omar during his first stint as the CM of the erstwhile J&K state from 2009-14, had convened cabinet meetings in remote areas like Gurez, Machil, Tangdar of north Kashmir and Rajouri and Poonch areas of Pir Panjal region.
The decision to hold this cabinet meeting comes two days after CM Omar on Saturday at the NITI Aayog General Council meeting proposed to revive J&K tourism sector which has been severely impacted by the Baisaran terror attack, suggesting that Parliamentary committees, PSUs & Central Government departments to hold meetings/ conferences in Kashmir to rebuild the confidence among general people intending to visit J&K in future.
To continue with his efforts to restore normalcy, Omar shall be taking a meeting of all Ministers and Administrative Secretaries at Gulmarg on Wednesday, which according to an official statement is aimed to alleviate fear, reinforce sense of security and trust, and ultimately pave the way for the revival of tourism in Kashmir and boost economic activities in the region.