Pahalgam Attack Anniversary: 'We Dreamed Again in Kashmir, 22 April Ended That'

'We built, not just businesses, but trust, relationships, hope, and it disappeared in a single day.'

Shopkeepers in Pahalgam say that their businesses have been badly affected post the Pahalgam attack

(Illustration made using AI directed by Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

As a shopkeeper selling groceries and fresh juices in Pahalgam, I've meet a lot of tourists. They would often tell me, ‘What we saw in the media was not the truth’—speaking of Kashmir's calm and serene landscape.

Some even visited our homes, curious to see how locals live. We would sit together, share tea, and talk like family.

22 April 2025 changed all that overnight. That moment left us shaken, and took away everything we had spent years rebuilding.

Even the name of 'Pahalgam' began to feel like a stain, something people spoke about with fear not just outside Kashmir, but even among Kashmiris.

'Empty Streets, Livelihoods Crushed'

That day, I was at home for a family function when the news of the terror attack in Baisaran Valley started pouring in. Within no time, social media feeds were suddenly filled with photos and videos of blood.

At first, we couldn't believe what we were seeing. Then the calls started coming in. We had lost 26 people. They were tourists, but to us, they were our brothers.

In Kashmir, we had already lived through years of hartals and shutdowns. For a long time, uncertainty was part of our everyday life. Even when things began to calm down, it still took years for 'normalcy' to return.

But once it did, people started dreaming again. Life started getting back on track. Tourism became Kashmir's backbone, with many locals driving cabs, selling goods on the streets, working as tourist guides, and taking up small jobs.

My brother-in-law, who had been unemployed for years, bought a sedan on loan in 2023. He started driving tourists, and he would earn around Rs 18,000 a month. My 23-year-old son also found his own path. He also started earning with tourism. He was proud that he didn’t have to depend on anyone.

The Pahalgam attack crushed livelihoods of vendors, guides, tour operators, and grocery shop owners. People who had taken loans to turn their homes into guesthouses suddenly had nothing. Bookings were cancelled. Streets that used to be full of tourists became empty again.

During the peak season, I earned around Rs 2,000 a day. After the attack, my sales dropped so much so that I was barely making Rs 200 a day.

On top of that, I have a loan of Rs 10 lakh that I had taken to repair my house. My EMI is Rs 15,000. Then, there are household expenses, food, education, and medicines. How can a person survive like this?

'How Will Tourists Trust Again?'

It feels like it will take another 10-15 years to reach that point again, if we ever do. I have already lived most of my life, but I am deeply worried about the younger generation. These young boys and girls... they have a future ahead of them. What will they do?

In the past few years, tourism had given them dignity. It gave them a way to stand on their own feet. Now even that feels uncertain again.

When tourists came, it didn’t just bring money. It brought connection. It made us feel seen, and understood. We were no longer just a place in the news. We were people with stories, with lives.

That is what hurts the most. That everything we built, not just businesses, but trust, relationships, and hope can disappear in a single day.'

I hope the government can help us. People here cannot survive another setback like this.

(The full name of the author has been withheld to protect identity.)

(All 'My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint. Though The Quint inquires into the claims/allegations from all parties before publishing, the report and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)