Four unarmed guards tourists' only safety net

The six kilometre long mountain dirt track between Pahalgam town market and the Baisaran meadow was not guarded by armed personnel and the closest thing to security for the tourists who visited the meadow, the site of the deadly April 22 attack that killed 26 people, were four unarmed guards from a cadre affiliated to the Jammu and Kashmir police, according to officials.

- Rahul Singh

PAHALGAM: The six kilometre long mountain dirt track between Pahalgam town market and the Baisaran meadow was not guarded by armed personnel and the closest thing to security for the tourists who visited the meadow, the site of the deadly April 22 attack that killed 26 people, were four unarmed guards from a cadre affiliated to the Jammu and Kashmir police, according to officials.

The rare, targeted strike has put the spotlight on poor security at popular travel destinations in Kashmir and raised questions about arrangements made to secure the record numbers of tourists who descended on the Valley this year.

The four men guarding the stretch were from the tourist police division, which is largely used for assisting visitors.

Two of them were deployed at the point where the six-km track to Baisaran begins near the Pahalgam market and the other two where it ends, people aware of the matter said. Tourists can either travel to the meadow on foot or on horseback.