New Delhi:
As gunshots rang out in Pahalgam’s “Betaab” Valley, a family of five from Maharashtra were preparing to leave their hotel for a day of sightseeing – their fifth day in Kashmir.
The Jain family from Maharashtra’s Buldhana had arrived in Pahalgam after exploring Srinagar, Gulmarg and Sonmarg. Nilesh Jain, Paras Arun Jain, Rishabh Arun Jain, Shweta Nilesh Jain and Anushka Nilesh Jain were stopped from leaving the hotel by the staff, who warned them, “There is firing going on”.
They would learn later in the day about the massacre of 26 tourists not far from their hotel, by terrorists who later fled into the forests.
“We were asked to stay inside,” said Nilesh Jain. The family, terrified, heard the sound of firing until it died down.
The family stayed in, and are still in the hotel, stranded in Pahalgam. Now they are waiting to go home. They have urged the government to help them fly out of Jammu and Kashmir.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the Delhi airport upon his arrival from Saudi Arabia to take stock of the situation. Shah, who reached Srinagar on Tuesday night, assured the survivors of the attack that the perpetrators of the dastardly act would be brought to justice.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has cut short her official visit to the US in view of the attack. She is part of the five-member Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Modi.
The Jammu and Kashmir government announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of the dead, Rs 2 lakh for those seriously injured and Rs 1 lakh for those with minor injuries.