US travel advisory: a blow to Kashmir tourism

With United States state department asking the americans not to travel to Jammu & Kashmir obviously due to worsening law & order situations in Kashmir valley the Mehbooba Mufti led PDP-BJP coalition government having a new tourism minister in place was though expected to understand the ramifications of the vicious propaganda of Delhi based news channels on Kashmir situation and take up the matter with Union Home Ministry but before the state government central government’s special representative on Jammu & Kashmir Dineshwar Sharma has taken up the matter with the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Central government’s special representative Dineshwar Sharma taking a lead over the Jammu & Kashmir government in responding to the vicious propaganda of Delhi based news channels on Kashmir endorse the recent remark of former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in which he said “ Dineshwar Sharma has virtually become the super Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir”. In fact the casual approaches of the Mehbooba government on the vicious propaganda over Kashmir situation by Delhi based news channel has changed even the perception of the US administration about the situation in Kashmir. The travel advisory of the US State Department is a wakeup call for both the Modi government at the centre and the Mehbooba government in Jammu & Kashmir and the US travel advisory is sufficient enough to convey a message to both the central government and the coalition in Jammu & Kashmir that peace, security and stability are the three pre-requisites for travel, tourism and development in Kashmir.
In fact the policy of curbing separatist voices through police restrictions and militancy through Cordon & Search Operations (CASO) has not worked well and the political engagement suited to the adjustment and accommodation of all the conflicting ideologies is the only way to create a conducive atmosphere for tourism, travel and development in the state. The approach of Dineshwar Sharma against the vicious propaganda by Delhi based news channels on Kashmir situation is a welcome step and the ball is now in the court of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. In fact the endorsement of the allegations of vicious propaganda against Delhi based news channels by Dineshwar Sharma leaves no scope for more to disbelieve those who say that anchors sitting in the news rooms of TV channels in Delhi are un-necessarily creating totally negative perceptions about the situation in Kashmir .Now it is for Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to convey government’s concerns on the projection of the current situation in Kashmir to the management of TV news channels in Delhi and keeping in view the ramifications of US state department’s travel advisory on Kashmir travel he has all reasons to act on the advice of Dineshwar Sharma.