Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Monday said that Pakistan’s attempts to destabilise the region and harm its tourism industry will not succeed, asserting that the people of Kashmir and the security forces stand united against such designs.
Addressing main Republic Day function at Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar after taking the salute, Choudhary said Pakistan had caused immense pain to the people of Jammu and Kashmir over the years and had made repeated attempts to destabilise the region.
“…Today, I pay tributes to the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack. The tourists had come here from various parts of the country. Pakistan has given Kashmir a lot of pain. It has tried to destroy Kashmir and has also damaged our tourism industry,” the Deputy Chief Minister said.
He, however, asserted that such attempts would no longer succeed. “Now they (Pakistan) will not succeed here. Our Kashmiri people and our security forces will never let their plans succeed,” Choudhary added.
The Deputy CM lauded the role of Army, Police and other forces in dealing with terrorism but asserted that their job was not done yet.
“Because of the Army, we sleep peacefully in our homes… In spite of all sacrifices, our police, Army and security forces never lost their morale and are always ready to protect us,” Choudhary said.
He saluted the courage of the security forces and stressed that their mission was not yet complete. “Your fight is not over yet. Your responsibility has increased,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the major challenge now was to eliminate the drug mafia and save the youth from drug addiction.
“We have to destroy the drug mafia. We have to protect our youth from the menace of drugs,” he added.
Choudhary said that despite suffering significant losses during Operation Sindoor, the union Territory has now emerged stronger and is ready to welcome tourists again.
“…We have overcome the pain they gave us. Today, Jammu and Kashmir is moving forward on the path of development,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister appealed to people from across the country to visit Kashmir, asserting that the region is peaceful and ready to welcome tourists.
“Today, Kashmir is a peaceful place. The beautiful valleys of Kashmir are ready to welcome people from different parts of the country,” Choudhary said, urging visitors to experience the region’s natural beauty.
Highlighting the hospitality of the local population, he said visitors would feel at home in Kashmir. “You will get an environment like your own home here. People from all over the world should come to Kashmir to experience the hospitality and brotherhood of the people of Kashmir,” he added.
The Republic Day function was held amid tight security in Srinagar and other parts of the valley. The security was on high alert across Srinagar and other districts to ensure incident free Republic Day functions.
In Srinagar’s historic Lal Chowk, a tourist from Gujarat was seen celebrating Republic Day. Painted in the colours of the Tricolour, the man carried a small model of the BrahMos missile, waved the National Flag and raised slogans of “Bharat Mata ki Jai”.
