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Jammu and Kashmir: 12 tourist spots, closed after Pahalgam attack, reopen today
Among the reopened sites, seven in Kashmir—including Aru Valley, Rafting Point Yanner, Akkad Park, Padshahi Park, Kaman Post—and five in Jammu have reopened.
Around 12 tourist spots in Jammu and Kashmir, which had been closed following the Pahalgam terror attack, were reopened on Monday after a comprehensive security review. The incident occurred in April this year, nearly six months ago.
News agency PTI shared visuals from Wazir Bagh and Dara Shikoh Garden, among the sites reopened on Monday.
The J&K administration had shut down nearly 50 tourist locations for security reasons after the deadly attack at Baisaran in the Pahalgam area on April 22, in which heavily armed terrorists killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
Which spots have been reopened?
Seven tourist spots in Kashmir and five in Jammu were cleared for reopening during a Unified Headquarters (UHQ) meeting chaired by J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in Srinagar on Friday.
“After a thorough security review and discussion in today’s UHQ Meeting, I’ve ordered reopening of more tourist spots in Kashmir and Jammu Divisions, which were temporarily closed as precautionary measures,” LG Sinha wrote on X.
He stated that seven tourist locations in Kashmir division, including Aru Valley, Rafting Point Yanner, Akkad Park, Padshahi Park, and Kaman Post, along with five in Jammu division—Dagan Top, Ramban, Dhaggar in Kathua, Shiv Cave in Salal, and Reasi—will reopen from Monday.
Recently, J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah had expressed concern over the prolonged closure of tourist sites in the union territory, particularly as they are key to promoting tourism. Earlier, on June 17, the LG administration had announced the reopening of 16 destinations—eight each in Kashmir and Jammu divisions.
The eight sites opened in Kashmir then included parks near Pahalgam market, Verinag, Kokernag, and Achabal Gardens in Anantnag district, as well as Badamwari Park, Duck Park near Nigeen, and Taqdeer Park near Hazratbal in Srinagar district. In Jammu, reopened sites included Sarthal and Dhaggar in Kathua, Devipindi, Siyad Baba, and Sula Park in Reasi, Guldanda and Jai Valley in Doda, and Pancheri in Udhampur, according to a previous report by Hindustan Times.
In June, LG Sinha had noted that additional tourist spots would be reopened in a phased manner following security assessments.
Kashmir has witnessed record tourist arrivals over the past three years. Official figures from the tourism department show that 34.98 lakh tourists visited the Himalayan valley last year, up from 31.55 lakh in 2023 and 26.73 lakh in 2022.
