Ceasefire dividends: Govt plans to start border tourism in Kashmir

A government official said a large number of tourists to Kashmir have been showing keen interest in hitherto unexplored places in border areas

The silence of guns along the Line of Control (LoC) since February 2021 due to the reiteration of the 2003 ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan authorities in Kashmir has started a process to open border tourism in the valley.

The decision by the armies of the two countries to respect the bilateral ceasefire agreement has not only brought normalcy to the lives of thousands of people living on the two sides of the LoC and the international border in J&K but also opened avenues of tourism. Three districts of north Kashmir —Bandipora, Baramulla and Kupwara — which share the LoC with Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) can be tapped for the same.

“Process to open border tourism in Kashmir is underway and we have already communicated with deputy commissioners of Baramulla, Bandipora, and Kupwara regarding this,” a senior official in the tourism department said.

Also read: Covid-19 again plays spoilsport for Kashmir tourism

“So far no place has been finalised for border tourism but places like Uri, Gurez, and Keran are under consideration while the further process is underway,” he said and added that exact information lies with the higher authorities.

The official said that a large number of tourists to Kashmir have been showing keen interest to visit hitherto unexplored places in border areas.

Last September, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt during a meeting in Srinagar with tourism officials had assured that the Centre was committed to promoting border tourism in the region.

Prior to that, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had said in August that both the tourism department and the army will facilitate visitors to remote places like Bungus in Kupwara.

At the same event, General-officer-Commanding (GoC) of 15-Corp Lieutenant General assured that border places like Bungus were safe for tourists and they will help facilitate the administration in building tourist infrastructure in such areas.

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