Kashmir tourism to launch 50% discount campaign to revive sector post-Pahalgam attack
Srinagar: In a bid to revive Kashmir’s tourism sector following the devastating terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, tourism stakeholders, in collaboration with the Jammu & Kashmir Tourism Department, are reportedly launching a four-day high-profile promotional initiative titled the ‘Fame Tour’, starting May 27.
The campaign’s highlight is a 50 percent discount on travel packages, aimed at attracting tourists back to the Valley after the incident in Pahalgam triggered a sharp 90 percent drop in bookings. The event, scheduled to run until May 30, will bring national tour operators, prominent hoteliers, and key media representatives to iconic destinations including Pahalgam, Srinagar, Sonamarg, and Gulmarg, as reported by the Deccan Herald on Sunday.
General Secretary of the J&K Hoteliers Club, Tariq Ghani, said the itinerary begins at Srinagar Airport, from where participants will travel to Pahalgam for ground-level interactions with local stakeholders such as hoteliers, ponywalas, and residents.
Ghani noted that the initiative is not just about tourism promotion but also about preserving livelihoods. “This is a united effort to counter the narrative of fear. We are not just showcasing our destinations, but also announcing a massive 50 percent discount in travel packages to ensure that our three lakh tourism-dependent workers are not pushed into financial distress,” DH quoted Ghani as saying.
He added that tourism players, including hoteliers, houseboat owners, transporters, and tour operators, are also preparing to warmly welcome pilgrims arriving for the Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra 2025, reinforcing the Valley’s tradition of hospitality and interfaith harmony.
In a notable move, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has also been invited to interact with the visiting delegation, media, and stakeholders.
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Kejriwal resorting to 'vendetta politics', says BJP after MP Sandeep Pathak booked
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Saturday accused Aam Aadmi Party's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal of vendetta politics after Punjab Police booked Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak, who recently defected to the BJP.
In an X post, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla claimed that Kejriwal is misusing the Punjab Police to settle political scores, and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has become a party to it.
"Two FIRs have been filed against Sandeep Pathak, who until recently was in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a Rajya Sabha MP and general secretary (organisation). What is baffling is the shameless, brazen vendetta politics being pursued by Arvind Kejriwal, with Bhagwant Mann complicit in it," Poonawalla said.
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"It is clear this has been done out of vendetta politics by Kejriwal, who is extremely vengeful and vindictive, and misuses the Punjab Police to pursue such political vendetta," he alleged.
Questioning the timing of the FIRs, Poonawalla said, "If these cases existed from the beginning, why were FIRs not filed earlier? If he was corrupt, why was he kept in the party for so long, especially when he was the general secretary (organisation)? Has any new material surfaced in the last few days, or has the alleged corruption occurred only now?"
He alleged that Kejriwal has an "old habit" of targeting political opponents and dissenters.
"We have seen how he has used the police against rivals, including Congress leaders. This is his old habit," Poonawalla said, referring to the withdrawal of Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh's security.
Poonawalla claimed that several leaders who had left AAP over the years, including Yogendra Yadav, Mayank Gandhi, Ashish Khetan, Ashutosh and Alka Lamba, were "hounded".
He accused the party of failing to introspect.
"Instead of introspecting on how they have changed -- from Anna to Lalu, from Lokpal to corruption -- they are indulging in vendetta politics, trying to victimise people using the strong arm of the law. This reflects an Emergency-like mindset and a dictatorial, Hitlerian mindset," he said.
According to sources, two FIRs have been lodged against Pathak under non-bailable sections.
No further details about the FIRs have been disclosed yet.
On April 24, the AAP suffered a jolt when seven of its 10 Rajya Sabha MPs quit, alleging that Arvind Kejriwal's party has strayed from its principles, values and core morals.
Of the seven MPs -- who were Pathak, Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney and Swati Maliwal -- six were from Punjab.
Later, Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan officially accepted their merger with the BJP, reducing AAP's strength in the Upper House to three.
