Kashmir Bleeds: Locals Look at the Bleak Future of Livelihood

“I am witnessing trip cancellations piling up, and we have already had 9 to 10 since this morning,” said Srinagar-based Yassir M Bhat in a telephone conversation. He, who has been associated with the tourism industry for a long time and works for a Destination Management Company called ‘Kashmir Online', mentioned that the effect of the terror attack is already visible in the state.

Just four years ago, when COVID-19 struck the world and tourism stopped, back in India, a few places started luring domestic travellers a lot. Kashmir was one of them, and it started seeing a tourism boom in 2021, after the second lockdown. In April 2019, the Srinagar airport reported handling 2.55 lakh passengers, while the numbers shot up in April 2022 to 4.15 lakh passengers. With one of the best snowfalls that happened earlier this year, social media feeds were filled with people enjoying the snow-clad mountains of Kashmir. The landscape remained filled with tourists until now, when the valley looks at an uncertain future.

Called the ‘mini-Switzerland of India’, Pahalgam, which is roughly 50 kilometres from the capital Srinagar, was on regular business when an unforeseen attack changed the fate of many. On a sunny day, at Baisaran – a popular meadow that attracts a lot of tourists, especially in the summer season, which was bustling with hundreds of tourists, three gunmen in army uniforms appeared from the dense forests. They opened fire, which, reportedly, killed 28 people.

In the context of the events, the attack took place during the time and on a day when US Vice President JD Vance was in India while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a state visit to Saudi Arabia. A day after the attack, the Resistance Front, an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, which was formed in October 2019, a few months after the Centre abrogated Article 370 and bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir, took responsibility for the act. 

In a tit-for-tat move, Pakistan today closed its air space for Indian airlines and shut all trade with India. Calling it "act or war", Pakistan also said that it will be shutting down the Wagah border post, and will reduce the strength of the High Commission to 30 while also expelling the Defence services officials from the Indian High Commission. Moreover, it threatened to hold the Simpa Agreement by saying "Pakistan shall exercise the right to hold all bilateral agreements with India, including but not limited to the Simla Agreement, in abeyance.”

A heart-wrenching aftermath

From the newly married woman, who has already become the face of the terror attack, in the reports, to the dead bodies of the tourists who are being repatriated to their hometowns, the entire country is facing rage and overwhelming emotions wrapped in sorrow and disappointment. 

Other than the bruised civilians, the terror attack has caused cities like Delhi and Mumbai to be on high alert with tightened security at the tourist spots. Yesterday, post the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting, India suspended the Indus Water Treaty, an agreement between India and Pakistan, for the shared water resources of the Indus River basin.

On the other hand, the Integrated Check Post Attari has been closed with immediate effect, and Pakistani nationals, currently in India under SVES visa, have been given an ultimatum of 48 hours to leave India. The Defence/Military, Naval and Air Advisors in the Pakistani High Commission based in New Delhi have been declared Persona Non Grata.

Away from Kashmir, there have been reports of Kashmiri students being asked to leave the college campuses in parts like Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

A potential hit to the livelihood - tourism

All this while, the tourism industry is undergoing a massive development, with not just the government-run Air India and the private airlines Indigo announcing extra flights between Srinagar to Delhi and Mumbai but even the prices shooting up than the regular fares.

The valley of Kashmir observed a bandh yesterday, after 35 years, to condemn the attack, and the landscape observed the protest marches, candlelight gatherings, and even silent demonstrations, videos of which have been circulated on social media. 

Along with the protests, however, Bhat informs that the locals are continuing to “display the inherent hospitality – Kashmiriyat”. “People are opening their homes to tourists who feel unsafe, offering them food and water. The transportation community has even arranged free rides to the airport and railway stations and all over India, and hoteliers are providing free accommodation,” he says.

As a matter of fact, locals have seen carrying the tourists and helping them in various ways since the attack took place. 

Amidst this, as Bhat says, the ripple effect is already being felt across. “The recent boom we have witnessed, especially since the opening of the tulip garden, has brought so much hope and livelihood to countless families here. Now, seeing tourists leave after this horrific incident feels like a punch to the gut,” he says. 

Talking about the bleak future, Bhat says, “Our drivers, hoteliers, shikhara-walls, pony-walls and travel agents are staring at an uncertain future. Tourism is the second lifeline for Kashmir after horticulture, and this sudden halt is making lives increase. There's a palpable sense of shock and anger among the people.” Bhat adds, “We yearn for peace and a sense of security in Kashmir.”

Malliq Abaid, who had been working on social media to show how Kashmir can be an ideal travel destination, feels disheartened and his efforts in vain as he speaks to Local Samosa. “Locals are hurt because this was the season (hinting at the travel season). We are also facing backlash from the public as the media is not showing how Kashmiris have always treated tourists as their family members. 

The locals are sceptical in the current environment where, on hand, people across the nation are condemning the attack and also the Kashmiris. Muhammad Fariq, who covered the protests, says that he, who has always stood for peace and genuineness, hopes that her words are not “used for political gains”.

Beauty of Pahalgam from my last trip. Despite people's fear of going to Kashmir, I have always been the voice that's been telling those around me to go experience its beauty, culture. Probably the best tourist destination of 🇮🇳. I will stop doing that now. Not worth the risk. pic.twitter.com/xywK5i8sej

— Kunal Bahl (@1kunalbahl) April 23, 2025

The Snapdeal founder, Kunal Bahl has joined the row of statements wherein he said that he was always advocating for the beauty of Kashmir but now he will stop recommending a Kashmir visit after the terror attack. Posting on X (formerly, Twitter), Bahl wrote, "Beauty of Pahalgam from my last trip. Despite people’s fear of going to Kashmir, I have always been the voice that’s been telling those around me to go experience its beauty and culture. Probably the best tourist destination in India. I will stop doing that now. Not worth the risk."

In the bandh yesterday, there were visuals of Shikaras holding candlelight protests in the Dal Lake of Srinagar that had surfaced online where the locals could be seen holding the silent protest, all while they look forward to the dwindling future and while the nation awaits the substantial stands of India and asks the most important question: Where is the safety in Kashmir?