Srinagar: Indian authorities have shut down more than half of all tourist sites in Kashmir following a deadly militant attack on holidaymakers last week that killed 26 people.
A government order confirmed that 48 of 87 tourist destinations in the insurgency-hit region have been closed to the public from Tuesday, with heightened security enforced at the remaining sites.
No reopening timeline has been provided. The closures come after a brutal assault in the Pahalgam area where three assailants reportedly separated men, asked their names, and targeted Hindus before executing them at close range.
Indian authorities have identified the attackers as militants, including two Pakistani nationals. Pakistan has denied any involvement and called for an independent investigation.
The Pahalgam attack has sent shockwaves through India, where summer tourism was just gaining momentum in Kashmir after years of declining violence.
Nestled in the Himalayas and famed for its breathtaking landscapes and Mughal-era gardens, Kashmir has recently emerged as a prominent tourism destination.
However, the attack has not only jeopardized the region’s fragile calm but also paved the way for military and diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan- two nuclear-armed neighbours with a long-standing dispute over Kashmir.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a high-level security meeting on Tuesday with top military officials, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
In the wake of the incident, India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty critical river-sharing agreement with Pakistan, while Islamabad has retaliated by closing its airspace to Indian carriers.
Cross-border skirmishes have also flared along the 740-kilometre Line of Control (LoC), with the Indian army reporting retaliatory fire over the past five nights in response to what it calls “unprovoked” firing by Pakistani forces.
