JK News Today
Srinagar, April 23: Chairman of J&K Hoteliers Club Mushtaq Chaya has condemned Pahalgam on tourists on Tuesday as “ barbaric” , which , said, has done an irreparable damage to the image of Kashmir , its ethos and culture of hospitality . The perpetrators of this heinous act, the top hotelier of Jammu and Kashmir, have inflicted a grave wound on the people of Kashmir and it won’t heal anytime soon.
Mushtaq Chaya, in a statement, reflected on the peaceful atmosphere in Kashmir which had come after long wait of many years, in which the tourists were holidaying and enjoying. Now the barbarians have hit this peace hard, and tourists going back to homes in coffins are heart-wrenching. They have killed the soul of Kashmir, along with its economy and ethos. “The attackers are enemies of Kashmir and Kashmiris.”
“Do these bullet-showering inhuman realise that they have imperilled the livelihood of nearly two million Kashmiris who used to eke their living through tourism. Can they ever compensate them,” he said and added that Kashmir will not recover from this shock soon as its impact will throw tens of thousands of youth out of work.”Mushtaq said.
The tourism in Kashmir is a multi-billion dollar industry, which generates direct and indirect jobs for two million people, and it helps the Valley to refurbish its image as a safe and pleasant tourist destination. The tourism helps artisans, handicrafts and transport and hospitality sector to establish its image and a source of earning livelihood for almost two million people.
Kashmir tourism saw its revival after a long gap in 2022 and thereafter it never looked back. Several million tourists visited the Valley and went back with lifetime sweet memories of their holidaying in Kashmir’s beautiful and peaceful atmosphere. “This made us to bond with the visitors and they saw in us not only as hosts but also protectors. Our word was a guarantee of safety them, now, our credibility has been shredded into pieces by the attackers,” said Mushtaq Chaya and hoped that one day these guests will come again.
