Pahalgam after the terror attack: Why tourists are returning to Kashmir’s most beautiful hill station
Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination in Kashmir, is witnessing a return of visitors despite a recent terror attack. The region, known for its natural beauty and serene environment, has historically been a safe haven for tourists. Local residents express hope for a resurgence in tourism as the area begins to recover from past violence.
- ▪Pahalgam is a picturesque hill station in Jammu and Kashmir, taking about two and a half hours to reach from Srinagar.
- ▪A terror attack in April 2025 resulted in the deaths of 26 tourists in the Baisaran valley, impacting tourism in the region.
- ▪Local residents are optimistic about the return of tourists as Pahalgam's main markets begin to fill up again this summer.
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On a good day, when traffic does not clog Jammu and Kashmir’s streets and highways; or if travelling is not impaired by the movement of security forces, Pahalgam takes exactly two and a half hours from Srinagar, says Aishaq Hassan, a driver. “Stare out the window. I will play you my list of old Hindi songs even if you do not understand it,” he says, already a tad overfamiliar.As we leave the summer capital city’s polluted streets behind, the roads begin resembling poet Agha Shahid Ali’s Postcard from Kashmir. The lines from my Class 6 text book: “This is home. And this the closest I’ll ever be to home. When I return, the colours won’t be so brilliant, the Jhelum’s waters so clean, so ultramarine. My love so overexposed,” echo out of the blue.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Hindu — Top.
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