A Jammu court on Monday granted the National Investigation Agency (NIA) a five-day remand of two individuals arrested in connection with the horrific Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 innocent civilians dead on April 22. The accused, identified as Parvaiz Ahmad and Bashir Ahmed, were produced before the Additional District and Sessions Judge, who approved the NIA's request for custodial interrogation. The next hearing in the case has been scheduled for June 27. According to officials, both men were apprehended for allegedly providing shelter and support to the terrorists involved in the deadly assault in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam region.
Earlier, on Sunday, PDP leader Iltija Mufti appealed to the Central goverment to arrest the perpetrators of the Pahalgam terror attack and stated that tourism halted in Pahalgam, "crippling" the economy of Jammu and Kashmir. Her remarks come after NIA arrested two men, Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar, for harbouring terrorists involved in the April 22 terror attack in the tourist hotspot of Pahalgam in the union territory.
PDP leader Iltija Mufti's reaction
Speaking to reporters, Mufti said, "Whatever happened in Pahalgam ... is completely condemnable, it was a dastardly attack...Tourism has stopped in Pahalgam, the economy of Jammu and Kashmir has crippled... Because tourism is the backbone of our economy, I appeal to the government to arrest those who carried out this attack as soon as possible, and take some confidence-building measures with the people here."
Union Minister on tourism in J-K
Last week, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that tourism in Jammu and Kashmir is gradually reviving, and expressed confidence that full restoration of tourist activities will happen within the next 15-20 days. Speaking to the mediapersons, the minister said, "...After continuous efforts of the Government of India and the state government, tourism activities have started again in Jammu and Kashmir..." He added that the Centre had also initiated plans to link the archaeological grandeur of Kashmir with tourism, as part of its broader strategy to boost cultural and heritage-based travel in the area.