PERIL IN PARADISE

The tragedy has shattered Pahalgam's spirit, plunging the tourism industry into deep uncertainty

- TARIQ BHAT/PAHALGAM

APRIL AND MAY are usually the busiest months in Pahalgam, with hotels fully booked and the town bustling with tourists. The icy waters of the Lidder river, snow-covered mountains, alpine forests and meadows leading to Matayan in Kargil and Sonmarg in Ganderbal attract thousands of visitors. This year, however, the atmosphere is markedly different as a pall of gloom hangs over Pahalgam. The roads are largely deserted, and the tourists are gone.

Before the April 22 assault, around 15,000 tourists visited Pahalgam daily, supporting hundreds of taxi drivers, ponywallahs, guides, photographers, hotel owners, shawl vendors and even non-locals selling bhel puri. But within hours of the attack, most tourists cut their trips short, leading to nearly 10,000 job losses in Pahalgam alone. Ghulam Nabi, president of a local transporters association, said even during the worst days of the 1990s, Pahalgam remained safe. “Targeting innocent tourists has scarred us forever. This stain won't wash away. If they had killed locals, we would have tolerated it, but killing tourists is unacceptable.”

Pahalgam is home to around 1,200 cab drivers who operate from two main taxi stands. Many people have invested their life savings or taken loans to buy vehicles. Following the attack, these drivers offered free rides to fleeing tourists, while hotels waived bills to support traumatised visitors.

Horse owners have also borne the brunt of the tragedy. Around 3,000 of them operate across nine villages in Pahalgam. “We used to earn about ₹1,000 a day,” said Abdul Rehman Raina from Laripora. Renting horses enabled Raina to support his family and educate his children. “Now, we don’t know what will happen,” he said. Although horses are insured by the animal husbandry department against health issues or injuries, it does not cover losses caused by terrorist attacks. “We are landless and have no education; tourism is our only hope,” Raina added.