Contributor,
Tilak Subramaniam
Tilak Subramaniam
The news of Pahalgam being in the limelight, since the last couple of days, has taken center stage, both in the print and electronic media.
Though claimed by the Resistant Front, which is an offshoot of LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba), a banned terrorist organisation, which has claimed responsibility. Therefore, the acts can thus be traced to Pakistan. Traditionally, terrorists have never attacked tourists, and an attack of this type has perhaps happened for the first time since 1995. It is by coincidence that the 1995 attack also happened in the forests of Pahalgam.
The exact location of the scene of action is Baisaran meadows, an extremely picturesque bowl shaped meadows intertwined with tall pine forests on all four sides.
There are possibly two to three reasons why Baisaran was chosen by the terrorists. Firstly, it is the tourist season in Kashmir, and many families take a retreat in the hills for the salubrious climate. For the terrorists it is a sure place to expect innocent, helpless, and easy targets. The second and third reasons are the tactical advantage the terrain offers for the terrorist. There is no mobile tower in the vicinity, and call drops and weak signals are quite common. This location can only be reached either on foot, which is approximately a 1 hour walk from the nearest road, or with the help of pony rides. All these factors help the terrorists as they also know, any reinforcements will take time to reach, and inter alia- the terrorists get a quick escape route, as this bowl shaped meadows lead into the thick pine forests, making escape easy.
This is a wake-up call for the J and K administration, and systems need to be in place to avert future disasters and promote tourists’ confidence and ensure tourism is back on rails soon. How quickly this happens will largely depend on the proactive measures that both the center and state initiate to safeguard tourists’ interest.
Though claimed by the Resistant Front, which is an offshoot of LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba), a banned terrorist organisation, which has claimed responsibility. Therefore, the acts can thus be traced to Pakistan. Traditionally, terrorists have never attacked tourists, and an attack of this type has perhaps happened for the first time since 1995. It is by coincidence that the 1995 attack also happened in the forests of Pahalgam.
The exact location of the scene of action is Baisaran meadows, an extremely picturesque bowl shaped meadows intertwined with tall pine forests on all four sides.
There are possibly two to three reasons why Baisaran was chosen by the terrorists. Firstly, it is the tourist season in Kashmir, and many families take a retreat in the hills for the salubrious climate. For the terrorists it is a sure place to expect innocent, helpless, and easy targets. The second and third reasons are the tactical advantage the terrain offers for the terrorist. There is no mobile tower in the vicinity, and call drops and weak signals are quite common. This location can only be reached either on foot, which is approximately a 1 hour walk from the nearest road, or with the help of pony rides. All these factors help the terrorists as they also know, any reinforcements will take time to reach, and inter alia- the terrorists get a quick escape route, as this bowl shaped meadows lead into the thick pine forests, making escape easy.
This is a wake-up call for the J and K administration, and systems need to be in place to avert future disasters and promote tourists’ confidence and ensure tourism is back on rails soon. How quickly this happens will largely depend on the proactive measures that both the center and state initiate to safeguard tourists’ interest.
