SRINAGAR: In a sweeping display of grief and dissent, several business, tourism, and civil society organizations in the Kashmir Valley have declared a complete shutdown on Wednesday to protest the brutal massacre of 28 tourists in the Pahalgam region of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
The horrific ambush, labeled among the most devastating assaults on non-combatants in recent memory, has triggered profound sorrow throughout the region and drawn nationwide condemnation.
The call for suspension of daily activity was collectively made by The shutdown call has been jointly issued by the Chamber of Commerce and Industries Kashmir (CCIK), Jammu and Kashmir Hoteliers Club (JKHC), All Travel Associations, transporters, restaurant owners, and civil society groups, various tour operators’ bodies, transport groups, food service associations, and concerned community representatives
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According to a joint statement, all commercial operations, public transport, and private enterprises are expected to come to a complete halt across the Valley.
Terrorists launched a coordinated strike on visiting tourists in the scenic Pahalgam area, leaving 28 people dead—including international visitors—and many others seriously injured. This deliberate and chilling attack is widely interpreted as an attempt to destabilize the region’s economy and sabotage its recovering tourism scene. Business and trade leaders are scheduled to address a press meet on the matter at the Radisson Collection Hotel on Wednesday.
As night fell, solemn candlelit protests illuminated cities and towns throughout the Valley. Vigils were organized in Pahalgam, Srinagar, Sopore, Ganderbal, Handwara, Kupwara, Baramulla, and Bandipora—where local residents, many in tears, marched to express collective sorrow and defiance.
Protesters emphasized that the gatherings were not just an expression of grief, but a unified message against terror. “We mourn with the families and declare: such violence cannot define us,” said one marcher in Sopore.
The Private Schools’ Association of Jammu Kashmir (PSAJK) also released a statement condemning the Pahalgam bloodshed in the strongest terms. Decrying the massacre of civilians, PSAJK announced a region-wide closure of all private educational institutions on April 23, marking the day as one of collective mourning and moral resistance.
The organization called on educators, students, and communities to come together in reflection, prayer, and determination to pursue a more peaceful future.
In a separate development, Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulama (MMU), an apex religious council, endorsed the shutdown. Its head, Dr. Moulvi Mohammad Umar Farooq, posted on X: “Another day of brutality etched into Kashmir’s tragic narrative. Tourists gunned down mercilessly in what can only be described as sheer savagery.”
He added, “Kashmiris, who have endured immeasurable loss over decades, deeply share the agony of those bereaved today. Acts of such barbarity have no place in Islam, a faith founded on peace, humanity, and compassion.”
Calling for a peaceful closure, the MMU urged people across the region to rise in solidarity with the victims’ families and register a collective condemnation of the senseless bloodshed.
Meanwhile, solidarity also surged in the Jammu region. The Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), along with the J&K High Court Bar Association, declared a complete regional shutdown and road blockade. “Jammu will come to a standstill. This is our unified outcry against terror,” affirmed JCCI President Arun Gupta.
The Jammu & Kashmir Students Forum also extended full support to the bandh call. In a strongly worded message, a JKSA representative said, “This atrocity is not just a crime against individuals—it is a wound to the soul of our land. The time has come to rise above political divides and stand as one.”
Protests and candle marches erupted in Rajouri, Kathua, Ramban, and Reasi, where demonstrators voiced firm opposition to terrorism and pledged unwavering support to the bereaved.
From trade unions to religious leaders, educators to common citizens—an entire region has come together, not only to mourn the victims but to resist the forces seeking to plunge it back into fear.
