Majid Jahangir Srinagar, Dec. 26 -- Early this year, Kashmir was riding a wave of unprecedented boom in tourism. Popular destinations like Pahalgam were buzzing with visitors, and the tourism industry was optimistic about a record-breaking season ahead. Srinagar's Tulip Garden, Asia's largest, alone drew 8.25 lakh tourists in just a month, an all-time high. Hotels were packed, shikaras were in constant motion, and hope was clearly in the air.
That optimism came crashing down on April 22. Around 1 pm, three terrorists, later identified as Pakistani nationals, opened fire on tourists at the picturesque Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam, a popular destination in south Kashmir. Armed with an M4 carbine and two AK-47 rifles, they killed 25 tourists...