Kashmir killings shatter Modi's tourism success in troubled region

By Fayaz Bukhari and Krishna N. Das

SRINAGAR (Reuters) - Images and videos of gunshots ringing retired successful a meadow, bloodied bodies lying connected the ground, and radical fleeing crossed a adust stream furniture person shattered Kashmir's emergence arsenic India's caller tourism hotspot.

The region's strikingly beauteous mountains, valleys and expansive Mughal-era gardens had drawn grounds tourer arrivals stemming from 5 years of comparative safety. Supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had touted the tourism roar arsenic among his signature achievements.

But Tuesday's onslaught by suspected militants who killed astatine slightest 26 tourists and wounded galore much successful Kashmir's scenic Pahalgam area, known for its glowing Himalayan peaks and fast-flowing streams, has near panicked tourists seeking an aboriginal exit astatine the commencement of the engaged summertime season.

Modi, whose determination to portion Muslim-majority Kashmir's partial autonomy successful 2019 aft decades of anti-India unit led to wide protests, and his concern curate some chopped abbreviated abstracted overseas trips aft vowing justice.

He took a gathering of his apical lieutenants astatine the airdrome itself upon return. Kashmir is divided betwixt India and Pakistan, which some assertion fully, and had been plagued by years of insurgent violence.

Locals person called for a one-day protestation against the deadliest specified onslaught successful Kashmir successful decades, tourer operators are reporting monolithic cancellations, and airlines are moving further instrumentality flights from Kashmir's main metropolis of Srinagar.

Tourism is the backbone of the Kashmir valley's economy, and has been promoted heavy by the authorities and Indian airlines.

Arrivals deed a grounds precocious of much than 3 cardinal past year, from less than 831,000 successful 2018, arsenic India's widening mediate people splurged connected question post-COVID, authorities information showed.

But immoderate Kashmir hardliners person derided the influx arsenic a taste penetration by visitors from the remainder of mostly Hindu India.

"We person a past of hospitality, but immoderate cowardly terrorists privation to destruct it all," Sajjad Lone, a section lawmaker and main of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference party, told reporters.

"People progressive successful tourism have, aft a agelong time, begun to restart their lives. They had begun to dream. Make nary mistake, these panic attacks are aimed astatine yet again disempowering america economically."

A little-known militant group, the "Kashmir Resistance," claimed work for the onslaught successful a societal media message. It said much than 85,000 "outsiders" had been settled successful the portion aft arriving arsenic tourists, vowing unit against specified settlers. Civilian casualties, however, person fallen importantly successful the past 2 decades, information shows.

Tourist operators, taxi drivers, and different radical progressive successful the manufacture condemned the onslaught and rued mislaid concern astatine the commencement of the summertime rush. The onslaught is besides a large stroke to Modi's attempts to gully overseas investments into the area.

As hopeless tourists tried to fly Kashmir, formation tickets concisely roseate sharply earlier the authorities met with hose operators and "issued a beardown advisory against surge pricing".

"In the aftermath of the incidental successful Pahalgam, determination is an unexpected request from tourists seeking to instrumentality to their homes," the Ministry of Civil Aviation said successful an advisory to each airlines. "Airlines are advised to instrumentality swift enactment to summation the fig of flights."

A apical question cause successful Kashmir said connected the information of anonymity that they had to cancel astir 90% of bookings for the adjacent 3 months.

Shakir Ahmed, manager astatine a tourer taxi national successful Pahalgam, said each their 30 vehicles were sitting idle arsenic radical fled successful the morning.

"The streets are abruptly empty," helium said. "Summers are similar wedding celebrations for us, but this year, we volition person nothing. We are thing without the tourists."

Inaugurating a passageway successful January connecting a cardinal snowfall hotspot successful Kashmir with immoderate different tourer sites, Modi said the national territory of Jammu and Kashmir was benefiting from infrastructure and different enactment successful caller years.

"Leaving down the earlier hard days, our Kashmir is present regaining its individuality arsenic a paradise connected earth," helium said.

On Tuesday portion connected a sojourn to Saudi Arabia, helium wrote connected X: "Those down this heinous enactment volition beryllium brought to justness ... they volition not beryllium spared!"

(Reporting by Fayaz Bukhari successful Srinagar and Krishna N. Das successful New Delhi, further reporting by Vijdan Mohammad Kawoosa, Rupam Jain and Abhijith Ganapavaram; Editing by Saad Sayeed)