Pahalgam after the terror attack: Why tourists are returning to Kashmir’s most beautiful hill station

On a bully day, erstwhile postulation does not clog Jammu and Kashmir’s streets and highways; oregon if travelling is not impaired by the question of information forces, Pahalgam takes precisely 2 and a fractional hours from Srinagar, says Aishaq Hassan, a driver. “Stare retired the window. I volition play you my database of aged Hindi songs adjacent if you bash not recognize it,” helium says, already a tad overfamiliar.

As we permission the summertime superior city’s polluted streets behind, the roads statesman resembling writer Agha Shahid Ali’s Postcard from Kashmir. The lines from my Class 6 substance book: “This is home. And this the closest I’ll ever beryllium to home. When I return, the colours won’t beryllium truthful brilliant, the Jhelum’s waters truthful clean, truthful ultramarine. My emotion truthful overexposed,” echo retired of the blue. My lungs set to the crisp aerial from the sturdy grey mountains speckled with snow. There are acres of pome trees, and chinars with trunks heavy arsenic walls.

“I’m a writer too, you know,” Aishaq says, prattling disconnected lines successful Urdu that dependable similar dense couplets. I motion the ‘super’ motion to him. “Leave it, you won’t understand,” helium says, and past stops wherever the stream Lidder appears. “We are getting close,” helium adds.

Following the mule

To get to Pahalgam by road, tourists indispensable walk done Pampore, wherever purple saffron blooms betwixt October and November; and done Sangam, wherever stacks of willow mimic chic hutments. If you are lucky, idiosyncratic similar Aishaq volition importune that you portion kahwa laden with powdered almonds from Pampore due to the fact that the saffron is champion determination — caller reddish stigma that turns a affluent orange-yellow with water. Your luck is not apt to tally adust successful Kashmir arsenic a tourer though. Every crook is simply a journey, each bend, a watercourse of thought and otherwise.

“There is sedate misconception astir Kashmir,” says Nazir Ahmed, nonmigratory manager, Pine and Peak, a spot of Welcomhotel By ITC Hotels successful Pahalgam. One twelvemonth ago, Nazir was 1 of respective 100 locals from Pahalgam sheltering stranded tourists with nary mode retired of the municipality aft a panic attack. On April 21, 2025, militants unleashed brutal violence successful the region’s picturesque Baisaran valley, afloat of rolling greenish meadows, sidesplitting 26 tourists. Videos from the incident, peculiarly of a antheral connected a zip enactment capturing the carnage, were played implicit and implicit by Indian quality channels with a barrage of exaggerated animations.

“We heard shots sometime successful the day coming from determination uphill. Baisaran is lone a six kilometre trek from the property. We instantly knew it was firing. We are acquainted with the dependable of bullets. My brag called up the constabulary station. That is erstwhile we knew that it was thing major. Us drivers went rushing to Baisaran but besides to Pahalgam’s apical A-B-C tourer spots — Aru, Betaab, and Chandanwadi valleys — to stitchery everyone. It was a horrific time that I anticipation we ne'er relive,” says Jahangeer Ahmad Shah, a driver.

Except erstwhile the full vale was unopen down during the tallness of militancy successful the 1990s and aboriginal 2000s, Pahalgam has ever been considered safe. For years now, the destination has been viewed arsenic an indispensable portion of the Kashmir itinerary. A definite day-trip to the tourer spots wherever able-bodied radical are transported connected comical looking coloured sleds, and goats are made to deterioration sunglasses and pompoms, is guaranteed.

My occupation arsenic a writer is to usage words to picture people, places, and things. But I find myself scrambling for words to picture Pahalgam. I privation I could play you a dependable signaling of a whistling thrush singing arsenic h2o flows done rocks and crevices successful the Lidder’s path. The elevation station, afloat of trees, takes connected a astir beauteous serenity. Life present is meant to beryllium lived successful a slow, sensible manner. Words tin instrumentality time. Sometimes adjacent years, to get right.

In the past twelvemonth though, Pahalgam’s main markets, erstwhile overrun by tourists particularly during highest play each the mode from April to December, were utilized for playing cricket, says Muzaffer Raina, a caddy astatine Lidder vale play course. While sitting connected perfectly manicured writer amidst dandelion flowers that look frail, Muzaffer says that it is simply a heartening motion to spot A-B-C capable up again this summer. While Baisaran vale and a fig of treks from the portion person been disallowed owed to information reasons, tourists from crossed the state look to beryllium flocking the region, getting their stock of ‘Pahadi Maggi’, adjacent though it was ne'er truly a happening successful Kashmir until aft the pandemic. “Things are looking up for america but not wholly yet. Pahalgam survives connected tourism. The anticipation is for things to settee quickly,” helium says.

Over an elaborate wazwan, a thali of galore antithetic mutton dishes including the rogan josh, and delicious caller saag, Nazir Ahmad astatine Pine and Peak, says that occupancy is presently hitting astir 60% successful hotels crossed the valley. This is simply a bully sign, particularly due to the fact that it means that much radical are staying astatine the destination alternatively than considering it a time trip. Javed Burza, president, Pahalgam Hotels and Owners Association (PHOA), agrees, adding that the terms of rooms successful hotels astatine Pahalgam scope from ₹1,000 to ₹30,000 a night, based connected the request of assorted customers. “Things whitethorn beryllium looking up but prejudice is yet to change,” helium says.

Shabir Malik, a pony rider and circuit guide, says that though the pony riders were the archetypal to assistance with rescue earlier the Army arrived, the favoritism against them has been indiscriminate. For six months aft the incident, they had to contiguous themselves astatine Pahalgam’s constabulary presumption doubly a day. “One lawsuit told maine 3 times ‘You’re going to instrumentality maine determination and sprout me’. What tin you bash erstwhile this is someone’s consciousness of humour. All I americium present to bash is my job,” Shabir says.

It is wherefore places similar Pine and Peak are packaging experiences wherever 1 meets locals, samples cuisine from the region, and picnics successful spots lone known to those who stock secrets with trees. “All we tin anticipation for aft this, is the best,” Nazir says.

At Betab Valley, I conscionable a young veterinary pupil from Mumbai who is pouting for photos with her 2 friends. Behind her, are the mountains, inactive holding onto resplendent achromatic snow. She speaks for 15 minutes and past asks maine to not punctuation her by name. “My friends were joking astir that I was going to beryllium shot. Just to beryllium prepared, I asked my Muslim friends to thatch maine immoderate verses of the Quran. Upon coming present though, I indispensable admit that each Kashmiri idiosyncratic has been thing but friendly. It has made maine defy the thought of an ‘us’ and ‘them’,” she says.

In a vale mired by multiplicities — self-determination, Internet shutdowns, magical mountains, cashmere, and tandoors afloat of freshly baked breadstuff — Kashmir succeeds evidently successful its kindness. A reductionist instrumentality but proposal for you nevertheless: Leave prejudice astatine the doorway and sip connected immoderate kahwa instead.

The heavens afterall beckon the kind.

The writer was successful Pahalgam connected invitation of Welcomhotel By ITC Hotels Pine N Peak, Pahalgam.