Srinagar, May 28 (IANS) After chairing a symbolic cabinet meeting in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah chaired an administrative meeting in Gulmarg on Wednesday.

The Chief Minister, his cabinet colleagues and top officials of the J&K government attended the meeting in the ski resort.

Officials said the meeting is part of his government’s efforts to bring back tourists to the union territory after the deadly April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

Earlier, a notice was issued by the General Administration Department about the meeting being held in Gulmarg.

Besides top civil administration officials, the Inspector General of Police, Kashmir range; the Deputy Inspector General, North Kashmir; and the Senior Superintendent of Police, Baramulla, also attended the meeting.

On Tuesday, Abdullah chaired a meeting of his council of ministers in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam. The aim behind holding meetings outside the fortified Civil Secretariat in Srinagar is to alleviate fear and reinforce a sense of security and trust, the officials said.

This would lead to a revival of tourism in Kashmir following the massive setback after the April 22 terror attack, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed, they said.

The Jammu and Kashmir government is hosting a group of tour and travel operators from various parts of the country as part of its efforts to bring back tourists.

After chairing the cabinet meeting in Pahalgam on Tuesday, CM Omar Abdullah went on a bicycle ride along with his two sons through the Pahalgam market to boost the morale of the town’s shopkeepers and hoteliers.

He also posted some beautiful pictures of the Lidder River that passes through Pahalgam.

The CM also announced that a memorial will be established in Baisaran meadows in honour of the terror attack victims.

After the April 22 terror attack in the Baisaran area of Pahalgam by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists in which 26 innocent civilians, including 25 tourists and a local, were killed, Pahalgam has become a deserted town with all its tourism appeal having come to a sudden end.

Locals in Pahalgam and elsewhere in the union territory took out spontaneous protests against the terrorists, and a complete shutdown was observed across the UT.

–IANS

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