Suchetgarh tourism hit amid India-Pak tensions, traders bank on lasting truce
Popular for its Wagah-Attari-style structured parade by BSF personnel, the tourist village of Suchetgarh along the International Border (IB) on the outskirts of Jammu now wears a deserted look. The latest military conflict between India and Pakistan has delivered a serious blow to the village, which was opened to tourists for the first time in October 2021 as part of the government’s border tourism promotion programme.
Stakeholders including hotel and restaurant owners, shopkeepers and horse carriage operators are deeply concerned, though they remain hopeful that the recent understanding between India and Pakistan to halt military actions will hold and help revive tourist footfall.
Indian Army conducted missile strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on May 7 in retaliation for the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people. In response, Pakistan launched intense mortar and artillery shelling and drone attacks in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and other regions. The two countries agreed on May 10 to cease military actions.
“Tourist arrivals are at their lowest ebb in view of the recent border clashes. Hardly any tourist visited the zero line in the past week despite the ceasefire announcement,” said Sunil Kumar, a restaurant owner.
Suchetgarh was opened up for tourism following a renewed ceasefire agreement announced by India and Pakistan in February 2021. That agreement brought major relief to people living along the IB and Line of Control (LoC). India shares a 3,323-kilometre-long border with Pakistan, of which 221 kilometres is the IB and 744 kilometres is the LoC within J&K.
Though the two countries initially signed a ceasefire agreement in 2003, Pakistan had repeatedly violated it, with over 5,000 violations reported in 2020 alone — the highest in any single year.
The introduction of a Wagah-Attari-style ceremony by Border Security Force (BSF) personnel on weekends proved to be a major attraction for tourists from within and outside J&K. However, the BSF suspended the parade last week following the clashes.
“Mahendra Lal, who runs a tea and sweets shop, said the situation is equally grim for him. “Our work has come to a standstill and we have stopped manufacturing sweets, including the famous milk cake, owing to a lack of tourists… We used to sell sweets, unlike Pakistan, which is distributing poison,” he said. “We only hope that Pakistan shows some wisdom and strengthens peace for better relations.”
A Tourism Department official said that the administration was closely monitoring the border situation. “We are taking necessary steps, including restarting the BSF parade, to attract tourists once there is permanent peace on the borders,” the official said
