Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], May 12 (ANI): The situation in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir is calm on Monday, with visuals from Dal Lake depicting peaceful conditions.
Bashir Kongposh, General Secretary of the J&K Traders and Manufacturers Federation, expressed relief after the recent India-Pakistan understanding. He said, “We hope tourists will return to Kashmir, we promise them a warm welcome.”
He added that before the Pahalgam attack, hotels were full and there were many tourists.
Kongposh urged authorities to confirm the safety of visiting Kashmir and requested the LG to reopen air services and schools.
After the recent understanding between India and Pakistan led to a pause in cross-border shelling, the local Reddi Chowkibal market in north Kashmir’s Kupwara reopened on Sunday after a week-long closure. Local shopkeepers and residents have appealed to the government for bunkers and compensation, citing repeated damage and risks faced during such incidents.
Speaking to ANI, a shopkeeper, Naseer Ahmad said, “First of all, I thank Allah that He has dealt with this big trouble. We got rid of this big problem. It is heard that the firing has stopped.”
He added that the local market had been closed for seven days due to shelling. “People lost their lives in the night; when they heard that the firing stopped, they were very happy,” he said.
He asserted that while the market had reopened, significant damage had already been done to the shops and the surrounding infrastructure.
“Shelling has also taken place in this market of ours. There are many shopkeepers whose shops have shells, whose shops are completely damaged. You must have noticed that the shutters are broken in front, the stuff inside is completely broken,” he said.
Calling the market vital for the livelihood of the residents, Ahmad emphasised the need for safety provisions. “We have appealed to the government many times that we suffer losses here, and there is a lot of damage due to cross-border shelling. Bunkers should be given to us and give us something for our safety,” he said.
He added that most of the residents are from the middle class and lack the means to relocate during conflict. “We are middle-class people. We don’t have enough income to go from here to Srinagar or in any city to find a place to rent,” he said.
Another local shopkeeper said that the reopening of the market brought immense relief to the residents.
“Today, after about six days, our market is starting to open up a bit. We have breathed a sigh of relief,” he said.
He expressed how the shelling had forced residents to abandon their homes and relocate. “Our lives were completely useless. With this shelling, we left our homes and shifted to another place,” he said.
He said that many people, including children and patients, had suffered during the displacement. “Some patients are heart patients, some are children, some are elderly.”
He, too, urged the government to set up protective bunkers.
Both shopkeepers appealed for consistent government intervention to secure their lives and livelihoods. “Today we appeal to the whole community that this happiness remains intact forever,” Ahmad said.
The border areas of Jammu and Kashmir were directly at the receiving end of the escalated military tensions between India and Pakistan after India executed Operation Sindoor in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam which claimed 26 lives. (ANI)
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