Minister for Tourism, Tassaduq Hussain Mufti today expressed deep shock over the death of R Thirumani, a tourist from Chennai, in a stone pelting incident at Narbal.
The minister conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family while visiting them in PCR Hospital here. Calling such incidents as an assault on the age-old tradition of Kashmiri hospitality, Mufti called for a public movement against such elements who are hell-bent on snatching the livelihood of lakhs of Kashmiris and bringing disrepute to the whole community.
Mufti said many recent surveys have revealed Kashmir as one of the safest tourist destinations in the world due to a very low crime rate, particularly the crime against women. “Yet when in such an environment, sporadic incident like this happens, it has the potential to undo the good work of many decades together and reinforce a very negative perception about Kashmir,” he said. The minister requested all the stakeholders to come forward and become ‘guardians’ of guests so that the true message of peace and warmth goes out from Kashmir. GKNN