Srinagar: Anger is building up across the Kashmir Valley against terrorists who have been targetting innocent tourists over the last two weeks with the objective of hurting the northern state's economy in their quest for getting nation-wide publicity.
Wednesday evening's attack on 22 tourists, who were travelling on a bus towards the Dal Lake area has only heightened the sense of resentment of the locals towards these frustrated perpetrators of violence and mayhem.
So deep is the sense of anguish and worry over the latest attack, that shutters of shops and businesses were pulled down in Srinagar on Thursday as a mark of protest over the twin tragedies.
Locals said that they were hurt by the trauma that their guests were being subjected too, adding that such acts of violence would only result in the crippling of the Jammu and Kashmir economy, which was heavily dependent on tourism, an economy that was in the process of revival after over a decade-and-a half of bloodshed and instability.
"There has been a grenade attack on a tourist and a lot of the tourists have been injured.The people here are angry that the visitors were hurt. We are upset that this adversely affects the tourism industry, which is of key importance here," said a trader Shabir Ahmed.
Ahmed's concern and anxiety are reflected in the way tourists have started cutting short their stay in Srinagar and in other parts of the picturesque Valley
Director Jammu and Kashmir Tourism, Farooq Ahmed Shah, believes that the militants see the tourists as soft targets.
He believes that the impact of such violent incidents will deter people from the rest of India and abroad from coming to Srinagar or any other place in the Kashmir Valley to spend their holidays.
This, he adds, could once again affect the revenue earning capacity of hotels, shikaras and handicrafts.
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"The aim appears to be to spook tourism, which was on the road to recovery and giving the local economy much-needed oxygen. We have nothing to say now. Earlier, we tried to play down the frequent attacks on tourists, but now, we have lost the courage to request the people to visit Kashmir," Shah was quoted as saying by a paper.
Jammu and Kashmir's Minister for Tourism Muzaffar Hussain Baig said that the public should realise the motives of the militants in targetting the tourists, especially at a time when the tourist season is at its peak in the state.
Mohammad Azim Tuman, the president of Houseboat Owners Association in Srinagar, endorses this view that the terrorists have only one clear motive - to destroy the northern state's tourism industry.
He was quoted by a paper as saying, "I see vested interests trying to create fear in the tourists. We have received fresh bookings for houseboats, but Wednesday's attack seems to take away everything."
There is no doubt that Wednesday's attacks will have a delibitating impact on the famed Kashmiri hospitality.
More than 600,000 tourists visited Kashmir last year - a record since the advent of militancy.
Wednesday's attacks, the second in the past week, have jolted the tourism sector.
So far, about 1.8 lakh tourists have visited the Kashmir Valley and government officials were expecting the holiday-making population to go up to one million this season, but the attacks have for the time being put paid to such hopes.
The terrorists are normally not known to attack tourists and last week's attack was not claimed by any militant outfit.
It was also condemned by frontline rebel group Hizbul Mujahideen.
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