One month on, J&K CM holds special cabinet meeting in Pahalgam

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today held a special cabinet meeting in Pahalgam, a month after an attack that killed 26 people at a nearby meadow.

This is the first time the cabinet meeting was held outside the Jammu and Kashmir's traditional venues -- summer capital Srinagar city and winter capital Jammu city -- during the tenure of Omar Abdullah government.

The move was a message against terrorism and violence in India's only Muslim-majority region, he said.

Addressing a press conference after the cabinet meeting in Pahalgam, Omar said, "Today in the morning, the meeting of the Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet was held in Pahalgam. This is the first time we have held a cabinet meeting outside Jammu and Srinagar."

He said the cabinet meeting held in Pahalgam was not just meant to carry out the government's agenda and administrative functions.

"We came here to show that the terrorism and violence will not derail our agenda for the development, prosperity, and representation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir," Omar added.

The CM said, "Through this meeting, we also want to express our gratitude and salute the people of Kashmir, especially the people of Pahalgam, for their courage, unity and raising their unanimous voice against terrorism and violence after the April 22 attack."

Before the meeting, Omar wrote on his official X handle that the cabinet meeting was meant 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," he posted on X.

He said he met delegates from different walks of life and "valuable insights were shared on local issues and aspirations. The support extended by locals to tourists and the administration during the recent unfortunate incident was exemplary and deeply praised".

Tourism, the sole lifeline of Jammu and Kashmir's economy, suffered a big blow by the April 22 terror attack that resulted in the deaths of 26 people, mostly tourists.

Omar, during his first stint as the CM of Jammu and Kashmir in 2009-14, had held cabinet meetings in remote areas like Gurez, Machil, Tangdhar of Kashmir valley and Rajouri and Poonch areas of Jammu region.

The decision to hold a special cabinet meeting comes two days after he proposed a two-pronged approach to revive Jammu and Kashmir tourism sector severely impacted by the Pahalgam terror attack.

He also urged the Indian external affairs ministry to make efforts in revoking the negative travel advisories issued by some countries against visiting Jammu and Kashmir.