The growing militant footprint in the upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir has cast a shadow over the border tourism that had picked up two years ago against the backdrop of a renewed ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan. The process to get passes for areas closer to the Line of Control (LoC) has now been made stringent again, and many areas in north Kashmir are now listed as no-go zones, official sources said.
Several visitors and off-roaders heading for Keran — named among 12 off-beat tourist destinations to be promoted by the J&K government — failed to get permission to travel there this month, official sources said. The security forces suspected movement of militants after three infiltrators were killed on July 14 close to the LoC in the Keran Sector of Kupwara. The Lieutenant Governor’s administration had planned to promote Keran as a border tourist village as hundreds of tourists have showed interest in the destination since 2022. The high-altitude circuit — which connects Machil with Point 4040 with Zamindari Gali and Bandipora’s Razdan Top — has also been closed for off-roaders this year.
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Stringent permit process
The administration’s move to issue on-spot permission at the Kralpora police station in Kupwara has also been stopped. “Only online permission seven days prior to visit can be applied [for]. It may or may not be granted,” a local off-roader told The Hindu.
The process of police verifications of local tourists has also been made a must to visit the border areas of Kupwara. “Online permission can only be processed once the local police station of a visitor clears the name after a background check,” the off-roader said.
This year, the upper reaches of the Jammu region have seen increased activity by highly-trained militants. Around eight to 12 groups of infiltrators are believed to be active in the Pir Panjal valley and the Chenab Valley. Of late, official sources said, security forces have stepped up their vigil in north Kashmir, especially in Kupwara district, following reports of the movement of armed men in the forests.
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Cross-border bonhomie halted
The Pakistani Army has also hardened its approach on the LoC. Sources said that the Pakistan Army has been using the public address systems of mosques on its side of the border to object to tourists coming close to the Neelum river in the Keran and Teetwal area. The river divides Kashmir from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). Of late, visitors would organise musical shows and take selfies on both sides of the river. Many viral videos last year showed tourists on the two sides of the river waving and whistling enthusiastically at each other. The Army has also been forthcoming in opening up more and more circuits close to the LoC to tourists in a gradual manner over the past two years.
Areas close to the LoC in north Kashmir had remained out-of-bounds for outsiders for more than 30 years. These pockets were raging battlefields between India and Pakistan. However, as the guns and cannons fell silent after a fresh ceasefire agreement in February 2021, tourists had started exploring these areas for the first time, with the Army relaxing the process of granting passes. It had resulted in several local residents using their homes as homestays in the Machil and Keran sectors. The fresh wave of militancy, however, may reverse such signs of progress in the area.
