New Delhi: Jamu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the latter's residence for the first time on Saturday since the Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22, conducting a 30-minute review of the safe climate of the Union territory and the upcoming Amarnath Yatra.
Officials said Abdullah introduced the prime minister to the public anger, an attack in the valley after 26 tourists on the Barsara meadow was killed, the deadliest strike by J&K since Pulwama in 2019 – and subsequent spontaneous protests in the area.
The chief minister also stressed the heroism of pony rider Syed Adil Hussain Shah, who tried to disarm a gunman in order to cover up tourists. The impact of the tourism industry and additional security layers of the impact of the 38-day Amarnath pilgrimage began on July 3 through the Pahalgam and Baltal routes was highlighted in the conversation.
Sources added that the police countermeasures following the attacks and wider intelligence input to cross-border threats both leaders agreed to agree to “zero tolerance” before Yatra. No official statement was issued, but the assistant described the conversation as “full and security-centric.”
