Pahalgam

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah held a special cabinet meeting on Tuesday in Pahalgam, a month after the tourist resort was hit by a terrorist attack, leading to the tourists deserting the Kashmir Valley.

The J&K government wanted to send two messages through this event; one was that the government was not afraid of terrorists and the other signalling normalcy to build the confidence of tourists.

After this meeting, the Chief Minister's Office posted pictures of the meeting held at the Pahalgam Club on the social media platform 'X'.

The Chief Minister's Office wrote on 'X', "Today (the Chief Minister) chaired a cabinet meeting in Pahalgam. It was not just a routine administrative exercise, but a clear message - we are not afraid of the cowardly acts of terrorists."

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

The Chief Minister's Office said, "The enemies of peace will never affect our resolve. Jammu and Kashmir is strong, powerful and fearless." This is the first time in the tenure of this government that the Cabinet meeting was held outside the usual summer capital Srinagar or winter capital Jammu.

Pahalgam was chosen to show solidarity with the residents of the tourist town, which has seen a sharp drop in tourist footfall since the deadly terror attack on April 22 that killed 26 people, most of them tourists. Officials said the Cabinet meeting is more important to send a clear message to anti-national and anti-social elements that there is no place for violence in Jammu and Kashmir. Abdullah had held Cabinet meetings in remote areas like Gurez, Machil, Tangdhar areas of north Kashmir and Rajouri and Poonch areas of Jammu region during his first tenure as chief minister of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state during 2009-14.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah held a special cabinet meeting on Tuesday in Pahalgam

Three days before today's special Cabinet meeting, Abdullah on Saturday proposed a two-pronged approach to revive Jammu and Kashmir's tourism sector, badly hit by the Pahalgam terror attack. He urged the Centre to direct public sector undertakings to hold meetings in Kashmir and parliamentary committees to hold meetings there.

He made this appeal at the Governing Council meeting of Niti Aayog chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

READ MORE: Dr. Faiyaz Ahmed Fyzie: A voice for the Pasmanda Muslims

The Chief Minister believes that these concerted efforts of the government will reduce the fear of the people to a great extent, instill a new sense of security and confidence and ultimately pave the way for tourism in the Kashmir Valley, providing the much-needed economic relief and returning to normalcy.