'Not leaving Kashmir': Some tourists remain defiant as Pahalgam terror attack triggers exodus of visitors

Some tourists in Jammu and Kashmir have shown extraordinary defiance after a brazen militant attack targeted visitors in the union territory's Pahalgam region. Even as the attack, that killed over two dozen tourists, has triggered a swift exodus of visitors from the valley, several said they won't go back home just yet. The deadly militant attack took place on Tuesday (April 22) and has sparked a diplomatic crisis between India and Pakistan.

'We trust Kashmiris'
​Speaking to NDTV, two women from Maharashtra said they were not scared and trusted the people of Kashmir. "Several people forced us to book flights and told us to come back again (later) because whatever happened was terrifying but we are not scared. We are leaving Pahalgam but we are not leaving Kashmir," one of the women said.

"We trust the local residents here. The way they have been treating us, they have earned our trust. They have always helped us," the other told the news channel. "Our driver who has been with us right from the start never asked us for our religion before dropping us to the hotel. (After the attack) He did not care about his safety but prioritised ours. We will continue to travel because this place is so beautiful," she added.

Pahalgam attack
Twenty-six people, including six from Maharashtra, died in the terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam -- one of the deadliest such attacks in Kashmir in recent years. The deceased also included people from several other states, a local resident, and a national of Nepal.

India's action against Pak
A day after the attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to Delhi after cutting short his official visit to Saudi Arabia. Upon returning, he chaired a high-level meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, after which the government announced a slew of punitive measures against Pakistan.
An Indian government statement has said that there were cross-border linkages of Tuesday's terror attack. Earlier, the Resistance Front, an outfit associated with the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, had claimed responsibility for the attack in Pahalgam.