Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday, June 22, said the efforts put in by him and his colleagues for the revival of tourism in Kashmir are bearing fruit, as tourists are returning to the Valley.
“The last time I was in Pahalgam, I cycled through a market that was all but deserted. Today, I came back to a Pahalgam that was bustling with activity.
“Tourists from various parts of the country competed for space with local picnickers who were enjoying the cool climate and rainy weather,” Abdullah said in a post on X, expressing satisfaction over the revival of tourism in Pahalgam.
Tourism in Pahalgam was badly hit after the April 22 terror attack at the Baisaran meadow, which killed 25 tourists and a local pony ride operator.
“It’s very satisfying to see the efforts my colleagues and I have been putting in slowly bearing fruit,” Abdullah said.
In Pahalgam to chair a cabinet meeting. We came to express solidarity with the local population. We’ve also come to thank all the tourists who are slowly making their way back to Kashmir & to Pahalgam. pic.twitter.com/VhKVyWV4Kd
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) May 27, 2025
On Thursday, June 19, the chief minister and his father, former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, travelled on the recently inaugurated Vande Bharat train from Srinagar to Katra and said there was high demand for the train.
Omar, accompanied by his advisor Nasir Aslam Wani, arrived at the Katra Railway Station on the morning and was received by several of his party’s leaders and workers.
“It was a very pleasant experience. The train is excellent. These days, if one has to travel from Srinagar to Jammu or from Jammu to Srinagar, there is no better way to travel than this,” Omar Abdullah told reporters in Samba.
Time to head to Jammu #VandeBharat #vandebharatexpress #traintravel pic.twitter.com/aZr94orEjI
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) June 19, 2025
“The demand is so high that, from what I have heard, it is very difficult to get a ticket for the next one month,” he said. The chief minister also said he would speak to the railway minister for an increase in the frequency of the train’s run.
“I will speak to Rail Minister Ashwini (Vaishnaw) ji to see if we can increase the frequency of this train or add more coaches, because the demand is huge. To meet this demand, we will have to take some steps,” he said.
On June 10, Farooq Abdullah made his maiden journey on the train from Srinagar to Katra and said he was overwhelmed to see Kashmir finally getting connected to the country’s rail network.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra–Srinagar Vande Bharat Express on June 6 from Katra.
