In a first, cabinet meets at Pahalgam

SRINAGAR — In a significant move, J&K cabinet on Tuesday met at the tourist resort of Pahalgam, where 26 tourists lost their lives in a militant attack on April 22.

In a move to revive tourism, which has been affected by last month’s attack, Omar Abdullah-led government convened a special cabinet meeting in Pahalgam to discuss several issues. This was the first cabinet meeting of the Omar Abdullah-led government outside the UT’s twin capitals.

An official spokesman of J&K Government said the meeting was held to demonstrate the resolve of the Government to restart normal routine in Pahalgam, send a welcoming message to tourists and to vehemently reject all kinds of violence and attempts to derail peace in Jammu & Kashmir.

“The choice of Pahalgam is aimed at expressing solidarity with the victims of the terror attack at Baisaran on April 22, after which Kashmir, including Pahalgam, has witnessed a sharp decline in tourist footfall,” reads the official handout.

Sources told the news agency KNO that the cabinet decided to build a memorial in honour of tourists who lost their lives in the deadly attack at Baisaran, Pahalgam.

The cabinet gave its go-ahead to the Roads & Building Department for building the memorial. “The memorial will be built at Baisaran to pay tributes to the victims with their names inscribed on it,” a minister, wishing anonymity, said.

He said the cabinet has also enhanced the Dearness Allowance of employees by two percent, retrospectively from January 1, 2025.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Minister for Health, Sakina Ittoo, said that the cabinet condemned the attack on tourists. She said the meeting was held at Pahalgam to express solidarity with families of the victims.