SRINAGAR: India has closed more than half of the tourist destinations to the public in the illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir region from Tuesday, Reuters reported, citing an Indian government order.
This comes in a bid to tighten security after last week’s attack on tourists, which killed 26 people at close range in the Pahalgam area.
India has blamed Islamabad for the massacre while Pakistan has denied any role and called for a neutral probe.
India accuses Pakistan of funding and encouraging militancy in the held Kashmir, the Himalayan region both nations claim in full but rule in part. However, Islamabad says it only provides moral and diplomatic support to Kashmiris for their demand for self-determination.
Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours have increased since the attack, along with calls in India for action against Pakistan.
Islamabad and Delhi have taken a raft of measures against each other since the Pahalgam attack. India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty – an important river-sharing pact. Pakistan has closed its airspace to Indian airlines.
The government of Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir territory has decided to shut 48 of the 87 tourist destinations and enhanced security at the remaining ones, according to a government document reviewed by Reuters. No time period was given and the officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Nestled in the Himalayas with lofty peaks, picturesque valleys and grand Mughal-era gardens, Kashmir has been emerging as a tourism hotspot as violence there has waned in recent years.
But the Pahalgam attack has left panic-stricken tourists seeking an early exit at the start of the busy summer season.
Firing has also increased along the 740-km (460-mile) de facto border separating the Indian and Pakistani areas of Kashmir.
On Tuesday, for the fifth consecutive day, the Indian army said it had responded to “unprovoked” small arms fire from multiple Pakistan army posts around midnight. It gave no further details and reported no casualties.
The Pakistani military did not respond to a request for comment.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Reuters on Monday that a military incursion by India was imminent and it had reinforced its forces in preparation.
