Srinagar, Dec 13, KNT: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday strongly pitched for the immediate reopening of tourist destinations that have been closed after the Pahalgam attack, saying such decisions send a negative signal at a time when the situation on the ground does not warrant shutdowns.
Addressing a press conference at the ski resort Gulmarg, where he inaugurated several development projects, the Chief Minister said tourist destinations were never shut even during far more difficult periods in the past. He recalled that even in the 1990s, tourism sites remained open despite adverse conditions.
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“Unfortunately, when decisions about the closure of tourist destinations are taken, we are not consulted. Had I been part of that decision-making, I would never have supported closures. If it were my decision, all destinations would be open,” Omar Abdullah said, adding that such measures create an unnecessary atmosphere of fear.
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He said he was not concerned about where the review process was taking place, whether at Lok Bhavan or the Ministry of Home Affairs, but stressed that what mattered was reopening the destinations without delay. “These closures must be reviewed and reversed. Otherwise, it sends a wrong signal,” he said. [KNT]
