Posted on 11/7/2003, 5:15:45 PM by swarthyguy
Kashmir has enjoyed a tourist surge this year, despite the on-going conflict in the region claimed by both India and Pakistan.
Picking saffron (VOA photo - P. Nunan) The fields along the main highway outside Kashmir's summer capital, Srinagar, are dotted with small purple and orange flowers - from which the spice saffron is harvested to use in cooking and in dyes. As laborers bend over baskets to pluck the blossoms, a handful of tourists gathers to take photos of the charming country scene.
Jagdish Sathe, a civil servant from Bombay, brought his family to Kashmir. He says he is not afraid of the on-going insurgency.
"Kashmir is heaven on earth. It's a part of India, an integral part of India, so that is not a question," says Mr. Sathe. "We had a love for Kashmir, we know we wanted to see, and this is the right time to come here. In the coming days, more and more tourists are going to come, because the militants are losing their ground here."
It may not be that simple. Islamic militants in Indian-controlled Kashmir have waged a separatist campaign against Indian troops since 1989, leading to the deaths of more than 60,000 people. Nor is fighting confined to remote parts of the countryside. Insurgents have killed three people and wounded 50 more in two attacks on a government office in central Srinagar in the past month. Both the attacks took place in broad daylight.
Selling flowers on Dal Lake (VOA photo - P. Nunan) Despite the continued violence, tourism in Kashmir is on an upswing. State officials say more than 64,000 Indian tourists and 800 foreign tourists visited Kashmir by June of this year. That is six times the number of tourists who visited during the same period the previous year.
They have come to enjoy mountain treks, horseback riding, or simply to stay in one of the hundreds of houseboats on the misty shores of the sprawling Dal Lake.
Boatman Lassa on Dal Lake (VOA photo - P. Nunan) Lassa, 56, has worked as a boatman on Dal Lake for the past 40 years. Visitors willing to rise before dawn can charter Mr. Lassa's gondola to go to a floating vegetable and flower market, where farmers gather in canoes on the water to sell their goods to local shopkeepers.
Even though last year brought more visitors, Mr. Lassa says the numbers still do not compare to before the insurgency began.
"We were working only six or seven months in a year, and we was earning enough money for all of the year," he says. "Our children were going to good schools for education. These days very few tourist people - those are the Indian tourist people - very few foreigners coming here these days."
Still, Mr. Lassa counts himself lucky that he has job that earns him enough money to support an extended family - when many of his friends, he says, are unemployed.
Some say the push for jobs, combined with a resurgent tourism industry, may create its own momentum for political change.
Mehbooba Mufti is the head of the People's Democratic Party, part of the coalition running Kashmir's state government. She says once people in the service sector see the money they can make through tourism, that will keep tourists safe, and militants at bay.
"The message goes clear to the militants that the local people get benefit from this," says Ms. Mufti. "So if we try to disturb them, if we try play with their livelihood, then whatever support left is also going to go. They will not be tolerated."
In the meantime, Kashmir remains a largely undiscovered holiday retreat - for those who do not mind taking a little risk for their reward.
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http://www.dailyexcelsior.com
SRINAGAR, Nov 6: Ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today received a major setback after militants eliminated its prominent leader Zulifkar Ali in Anantnag town which is the home district of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed.
He was second leader of the ruling PDP who fell prey to militants’ bullets in last three days. Militants on Tuesday had killed zonal president of the Party, Ghulam Mohammed Ganai of Frastbal Pampore in south Kashmir district of Pulwama.
According to reports, Zulifkar Ali who is considered to have much proximity with the Chief Minister’s family was coming out of a local mosque after prayers at Lazbal Anantnag when three militants waiting outside sprayed bullets on him.
He was taken to district Hospital Anantnag where doctors declared him brought dead.
Zulifkar, a retired Prosecuting Officer in J&K Police had joined the PDP six months back after the Party’s MLA from Shangus Pir Mohammed Hussian ex ADC influenced him to join the Party.
The reports said Zulifkar had suffered a tragedy as his lone militant son was also killed in his house by security forces few years back.
Meanwhile, three civilians including a woman have been shot dead by unidentified gunmen in twin villages in Kunzar-Tangmarg area of Baramulla district during last night. Elsewhere, six militants were killed and five Army personnel including a Commanding Officer and a Major injured in different gun battles in Kashmir valley since last night.
Enjoying a field day in the Housing Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir’s Tangmarg constituency, unidentified militants have struck in a big way and killed three civilians including a woman in two villages of Kunzar belt. To begin with, unidentified gunmen, widely believed to be militants, appeared at Harud Aboora village near Kunzar and dragged out Shakeela, wife of Abdul Rashid Matoo and Ghulam Ahmed Mir, son of Ghulam Nabi from their respective residences. Both the civilians were later shot dead. Mir, a 50-year old, was an employee in the Public Works Department (PWD).
Thereafter, militants, possibly of the same group, appeared at Haing village in the same locality and dragged out one, Noor Mohammed Khan, son of Abdul Ahad from his home. He was also shot dead.
Reports said that there was a feeble resistance from the inmates. It is widely presumed that all the three were killed on un-established charges of being informers of security forces. However, no militant outfit had claimed responsibility of these killings till late this evening. Police have registered cases and is investigating into these deaths.
Informed sources in north Kashmir told EXCELSIOR that, on a specific information, troops of 28 and 30 battalions of Rashtriya Rifles (RR) cordoned Drusu village in Rafiabad area of Baramulla district last night. As the troops were zeroing in on the suspected militant hideouts, militants opened heavy volume of fire on them triggering a gun battle. In the ensuing exchange of fire, two unidentified militants got killed.
Five Army personnel including Commanding Officer of the RR 30 Bn, Col G S Saga and RR 28 Bn’s Major Bhattacharya were injured in the firefight. Five structures including three kitchens and two cowsheds were damaged in the exchange of fire.
Reports from south Kashmir said that troops of RR 9 Bn cordoned Manzgam village in Damhal Hanjipora area of Anantnag district this morning. As the security forces were conducting house to house searches, militants in the village fired at them. Troops retaliated which led to an encounter. The gun battle continued till this afternoon in which two unidentified militants were killed. Two houses belonging to Abdul Rashid Dar and Bashir Ahmed Dar were gutted in the exchange of fire.
Reports said that RR 13 Bn killed a militant, identified as Saifullah, resident of Pakistan in an encounter Kongmarg Bandipore in Baramulla district during last night.
One more militant, believed to be a foreigner, was killed in a firefight with RR 24 Bn at Parang Kangan during last night.
Militants lobbed a grenade at the office of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) in Anantnag town. The blast smashed windowpanes but no one was injured.
Meanwhile, according to police, 51 houses and a mosque were damaged in cross-border shelling by Pakistani forces in the Gurez sector of Baramulla district. The shelling began late on Wednesday evening and continued through the night. Besides the houses and the mosque, a vehicle was damaged due to the heavy shelling from across the Line of Control (LoC).
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This phrase is actually mis-leading.When I was in high school 81-84, they were killing each other even back then. Travel and Leisure had an article about tourism gaining in popularity a few months back, but again, tourists were killed and naturally tourism dried back up. I would love to go there, and have wanted to for years, especially to trek in what they call the "northern territories".
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