Pahalgam weeps, not for business, but for lives lost

Pahalgam, Apr 24: On a quiet Thursday afternoon, a group of taxi drivers stood silently at the main tourist stand in Pahalgam, the famed tourist destination in Kashmir.

Their conversations were subdued, sorrow etched deeply into their expressions.

Two days earlier, the scenic spot had been buzzing with activity.

Tourists bustled through the streets, and cab drivers were busy ferrying them to popular sightseeing spots.

But everything changed on the sunny spring afternoon of April 22, when a brutal attack in the picturesque meadows of Baisaran claimed the lives of 26 tourists.

Now, the once-crowded stand lies eerily empty - not a single tourist in sight.

Yet it is not the loss of income that weighs heaviest on the minds of those who depend on tourism for their livelihood.

It’s the heartbreak of the tragedy itself.

“We are not worried about our business,” said Muzaffar Ahmad, 30, a taxi driver from Frisalan village. “What haunts us is that they were our guests – people we welcomed with open hearts and served with joy. And they had to return lifeless and bruised.”

His eyes welled up as he recalled the harrowing scenes.

“Our hearts ached. We cried when we saw their bodies lying in pools of blood,” Ahmad said.

His fellow driver, Muhammad Amin, 50, also from Frisalan, shared the same grief.

“Everything was going smoothly. The tourists were enjoying their holidays, and we were earning a living. But a single incident changed everything. Allah is the provider of sustenance, but what matters more is that someone lost their son, their husband, their father. That pain is greater than the loss of income.”

The sentiment is echoed by hoteliers, pony wallas, guides, and restaurant owners across Pahalgam.

“We have seen the worst times – when tourism completely stopped during the peak of the turmoil - but slowly, Kashmir came back to life,” said Ibrahim Raina, owner of Hotel Brown Palace. “Never, not even during those years, were tourists harassed. But now, seeing them return home in coffins hurts us more than the blow to our business.”

Raina said that all tourists had now fled, and bookings had been cancelled in the wake of the tragedy. “After COVID, business in Pahalgam had picked up. But now, it feels like we are back to square one,” he said somberly.

The pony wallas, who earn meagre wages by offering horseback rides to tourists, are devastated.

“Our fellow pony wallas had taken tourists including newlywed couples to the Baisaran meadow. They were waiting for their safe return, but never imagined they would have to carry their bodies back,” said Muhammad Ismail, a pony walla from Mandlan village, sitting idle with his horse. “Allah is the sole provider of livelihood, but what will never come back is the life of those 26 innocent souls.”

Shabir Ahmad, a tourist guide, was accompanying a group of tourists from Maharashtra to Chandanwari, 15 km from main Pahalgam when the attack occurred.

“The tourists were planning to visit Betab Valley and later Aru Valley. But fate had something else in store,” he said. “The horrific incident forced them to return to their hotels, terrified. They fled to Srinagar the next morning and then back home.”

The once busy eateries and restaurants of Pahalgam, which had been full of tourists relishing Kashmiri delicacies and vegetarian dishes from South India and North India, now lie shut.

“On Tuesday afternoon, there was not a single eatery without customers. Today, there is no one,” said Sabzar Ahmad, manager of Paradise Inn Restaurant. “As soon as the news of the attack spread, tourists rushed to their hotel rooms. The next day, they left. We are not worried about business but about the loss of lives, and we stand by their families in these tough times.”