'The enemies of peace will never...': J&K CM Omar Abdullah holds cabinet meeting in Pahalgam to show solidarity with locals

Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, held a special cabinet meeting on Tuesday (May 27) to give a message that the government will not be “intimidated by cowardly acts of terrorism". The meeting was held in the resort town of Pahalgam, which recently witnessed a ghastly terror attack on April 22.

This was the first time a cabinet meeting of J&K was held outside of its capital Srinagar (Summer) or Jammu (Winter) during his tenure.

“This morning, the J&K cabinet meeting was convened in Pahalgam. This is the first time this government has held a cabinet meeting outside Jammu or Srinagar. Though we worked as per the agenda of our government, we did not have a cabinet meeting in Pahalgam for just an administrative or government function," the J&K chief told news agency ANI.

He said that he chose the location for the meeting to show solidarity with the people of Pahalgam after the terrorists attack in which 26 people were killed.

“The agenda of development and happiness in J&K, the agenda to represent the people in J&K will not stop due to bloodshed. Through this meeting, we thanked people of Kashmir especially those in Pahalgam, for their stand and bravery after the 22nd April attack where they raised their voice against violence and bloodshed," he said.

"Since we are in Pahalgam, tourism is also on our agenda.. A group of Maharashtra tour operators is here in Pahalgam. They will also visit Srinagar. What encourages us is that earlier the group was going to be of 20-25 people… But, around 60 tour operators from Maharashtra have come to see how the travel and tour industry can be resumed here… I want to thank these people…" he added.

“The enemies of peace will never dictate our resolve. Jammu and Kashmir stands firm, strong, and unafraid," he said while taking to the social media platform X.