New Delhi:
As gunfire rang through Pahalgam’s “Betaab” Valley, five unaware tourists from Maharashtra were readying to leave from their hotel and begin the fifth day of sightseeing.
The family of five from Maharashtra’s Buldhana had arrived in Pahalgam, just a day before the terror attack at a popular meadow that killed 26 people. After exploring Srinagar, Gulmarg and Sonmarg from April 18 till 21, they were set to continue to their Valley trip.
Nilesh Jain, Paras Arun Jain, Rishabh Arun Jain, Shweta Nilesh Jain and Anushka Nilesh Jain were stopped by alert hotel staff, who told them about the ongoing shooting.
The family, though safe at the hotel, is stranded in Pahalgam. They have urged the government to aid their journey back home.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the Delhi airport upon his arrival from Saudi Arabia to take stock of the situation. Shah, who reached Srinagar on Tuesday night, assured the survivors of the attack that the perpetrators of the dastardly act would be brought to justice.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has cut short her official visit to the US in view of the attack. She is part of the five-member Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Modi.
The Jammu and Kashmir government announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of the dead, Rs 2 lakh for those seriously injured and Rs 1 lakh for those with minor injuries.
