Indian, Pak forces trade gunfire; tensions escalate

Indian, Pak forces trade gunfire; tensions escalate

- FAYAZ WANI @ Srinagar

NO security personnel were reportedly deployed at the Baisaran meadow, the "mini Switzerland" where terrorists mowed down 25 tourists and a local resident on April 22 in one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in J&K in over three decades of militancy.

"This was the first-ever attack on tourists in Pahalgam. And there was no security presence in the Baisaran meadow when the attack unfolded," J&K Pony Walas Association president Waheed Ahmed claims.

It is worth noting that the road to Baisaran is not motorable. The tourist spot can be reached only on foot or on horses or ATV scooters. Baisaran meadow is also surrounded by dense forests. And the closest security camp to the meadow — a CRPF one — is distant around six to seven kilometres away from it. It is said that about 300 tourists were present at the picturesque spot when the terrorists struck.