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Tourism Evaporates in Neelum Valley as India-Pakistan Tensions Escalate

Fear of conflict following the Pahalgam attack has emptied the region’s hotels and left border communities bracing for potential war.

Local residents take picture with their mobile phones of Indian side Kashmir, at a view point from Pakistan side on the Line of Control, the de facto border dividing Pakistan and Indian Kashmir, in Chilhana, some 45 kilometres (27 miles) from Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan controlled Kashmir, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/M.D. Mughal)
A local resident takes pictures with his mobile phone of Indian side Kashmir, at a view point from Pakistan side on the Line of Control, the de facto border dividing Pakistan and Indian Kashmir, in Chilhana, some 45 kilometres (27 miles) from Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan controlled Kashmir, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/M.D. Mughal)
A village of Indian side Kashmir, is seen from the Pakistan side on the Line of Control, the de facto border dividing Pakistan and Indian Kashmir, in Chilhana, some 45 kilometres (27 miles) from Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan controlled Kashmir, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/M.D. Mughal)
Local residents walk on a highway near on the Line of Control, the de facto border dividing Pakistan and Indian Kashmir, in Chilhana, some 45 kilometres (27 miles) from Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan controlled Kashmir, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/M.D. Mughal)

Overview

  • The April 22 attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 people, has significantly heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, with India accusing Pakistan of harboring the attackers, a claim Pakistan denies.
  • Neelum Valley, located less than 3 kilometers from the Line of Control, has seen a mass exodus of its usual 300,000 summer tourists due to fears of military conflict.
  • Indian authorities have closed dozens of tourist resorts in Indian-controlled Kashmir, while Pakistani authorities have kept businesses open, though residents remain anxious.
  • Local residents in Neelum Valley express a strong desire for peace but are preparing for potential conflict, with some homes lacking adequate bunkers due to population growth.
  • The crisis underscores the economic toll of geopolitical tensions, with the once-thriving tourism industry in Neelum Valley now at a standstill.