Tourist Haven Turns Hollow

Pahalgam, May 4: Nearly two weeks after the Pahalgam attack, the once jam-packed and bustling streets lie deserted and silent.

Some shops that were previously crowded are now shuttered, while the usual customer rush is missing at popular food joints.

Taxi stands wear a deserted look and pony operators spend their days waiting aimlessly.

Although tourists have begun showing up, their number is still low.

Before the deadly terrorist attack on April 22, which left 25 tourists and a local tourist guide dead, in idyllic Baisaran Valley, the destination was teeming with visitors.

We were inching towards a peak season. This year tourists started arriving early. However, everything came crashing down in the blink of an eye,î said Nazir Ahmad, a cab driver, exhaling a cloud of smoke near his Chevrolet Tavera.

He said that they had never seen Pahalgam enveloped in such despair.

President of Taxi Stand 2, Gulzar Ahmad Wani said, This attack is on our economic lifeline.  They should have killed us instead.î

Around 600 vehicles are parked at the stand.

The last day of work was the day of the attack when the entire stand relocated tourists to safer locations free of charge.

A 60-year-old carpet seller, who has been running a century-old shop, said that the attack shattered everything.

We donít see any green shoots of recovery,î he said.

The trader was in his shop busy with customers the day terrorists killed 26 persons.

ìInitially, I did not sense that something had happened there. It was not until I saw ambulances rushing down the streets, ferrying the victims that I understood,î he said.

The first responders after the attack were All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) bikers who risked their lives to rescue the injured.

I was among the first to reach the spot after receiving a call from the police station for assistance,î recalled Irshad Ahmad, president of the ATV stand, which operates 14 private bikes.

He transported the lifeless body of Navy Officer Vinay Narwal and his wife down the hill.

On the way, his wife kept asking whether her husband was alive,î said Irshad.

He tried to keep her calm, telling her that he was alive, even though he knew the truth. Since the attack, the ATV stand has been lying vacant. The bikers are left without work as the authorities have declared sightseeing destinations off-limits to tourists.

Even after 12 days of attack, the hoteliers are still waiting for customers.

There have been no significant signs of recovery, with booking cancellations continuing unabated.

The pony operators share a similar fate, with their livelihoods brought to a standstill and their animals left tethered, waiting for tourists who no longer come in significant numbers.

The scenic destination, which just two weeks ago was bustling with crowds ñ where people queued to enter parks and food joints, long lines were common at petrol pumps, roads were jam-packed and parking was nearly impossible to find - now resembles a ghost town.