Jammu, Feb 16 (IANS) J&K Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha, on Monday ordered the reopening of 14 tourist spots across the UT, comprising 11 in the Kashmir Valley and 3 in the Jammu division, closed in the wake of the barbaric Pahalgam massacre.

As per officials, the 11 tourist spots being reopened in the Valley are Yousmarg and Doodhpathri in Budgam, the Dandipora Park in Kokernag, Peer Ki Gali, Dubjan & Padpawan in Shopian, Astanpora and Tulip Garden in Srinagar, Thajwas Glacier and Hung Park in Ganderbal, and the Wullar/Watlab in Baramulla district.

“These are being reopened immediately. Three tourist spots in Jammu Division – Devi Pindi in Reasi, Mahu Mangat in Ramban, and Mughal Maidan in Kishtwar are also to be reopened immediately,” an official said.

However, three sites in the Kashmir Division – Gurez, Athwatoo, and Bangus, and one site in the Jammu Division- Ramkund in Ramban will be reopened once snow gets cleared, the official added.

These tourist spots were closed after the terror attack in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam, in which 26 innocent people, including 25 tourists and a local pony owner, were gunned down.

The attack was carried out by Pakistan-backed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists.

The attack outraged the entire nation, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the armed forces a free hand to avenge the terror outrage.

Under ‘Operation Sindoor’, the Indian armed forces carried out strikes deep inside Pakistan without crossing the border. Terror infrastructure in Muredki near Lahore, Bahawalpur, Muzaffarabad and other places was destroyed in these strikes without targeting the military installations in Pakistan. The strikes were carried out under ‘Operation Sindoor’.

Pakistan escalated the tension by attacking civilian facilities in J&K. A mosque, a temple and a gurudwara were destroyed, and 14 civilians were killed in Pakistani shelling in Poonch district.

–IANS

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