Hope tourism will pick up with Amarnath Yatra, says ex-CM Mehbooba

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday said that she believes tourism in Jammu and Kashmir will pick up once the Amarnath yatra begins next month.

“The train service has started, but tourist inflow towards Kashmir has not increased much yet. I believe that once the Amarnath Yatra begins, tourist inflow will definitely rise. All these deserted tourist spots will once again flourish,” Mufti told reporters at Patnitop.

Tourism in the UT took a massive hit after the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed by terrorists on April 22.

“Hotel owners are troubled, pony operators are troubled. The condition in Patnitop is the same as in Pahalgam. If the Yatra goes well, I am sure tourism will also pick up,” she said.

Mufti, who addressed a one-day party convention, urged the ruling National Conference government to provide relief to those who have taken loans, reduce their instalments and give them more time to pay back.

On relations between India and Pakistan, she said, “I said both countries are poor, and both spend a lot on defence budgets. That money should be spent on the welfare of people.” The PDP chief also said that Pakistan doesn’t have much to lose, as they have nothing. “Their country runs on loans from foreign banks. Our country is thriving and prosperous,” she added.

“But, if we keep getting entangled in a war like this, there will always be a threat. If there is an attack and we go to war, uncertainty will persist in our country, and poverty will only increase.” On BJP’s 11 years in power, she said that the BJP people can better answer how they have improved things. “What can I say about that?” Talking about the various promises made by NC before the polls, the PDP chief said, “If the National Conference has 50 MLAs and three MPs, and they promised to provide 200 units of free electricity, they should fulfil it.”