"Next Visit To Kashmir": Riteish Deshmukh Condemns Pahalgam Terror Attack

Days after the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 people, Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh urged people to visit Kashmir for their next holiday as an act of solidarity.

Speaking to NDTV, Mr Deshmukh said that "certain elements" disrupted the peace in the area and instilled fear among people.

"There were tourists from all over India who had gone there to spend time with their family. It's taken years to build that trust for tourists to go there and spend time. Suddenly, certain elements decide to disrupt the whole peace in the area, trying to instill fear. We truly believe Kashmir is in India. People from around the country are suffering with them after the attack - be it from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, the Northeast, wherever. And when something like this happens, it is to disturb the Valley, the tourism, instill fear, and make sure no one goes there," he said.

While the government is taking steps, Mr Deshmukh urged people at an individual level to promise themselves to visit Kashmir for the next holiday.

I'm sure our government is taking great efforts to instill faith, get everything back on track. They will be doing at much larger scale.

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"Spend time there. Wait for the authorities to tell you when it is time to visit. I would like to go there and spend time with my family. We have to help each other, make sure that our countrymen, brothers and sisters living in Kashmir don't feel the pain of this," he said.

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui also condemned the attack and said that the entire India has been united after the incident.

"The whole India has been united over one incident. What can be more beautiful than that? Be it Hindu, Muslim, Sikh - when we are united, that is when we will make progress. Of course, I'm angry and sad over the attack," he told NDTV.

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Twenty-six people, including one Nepali national, were killed and many others were injured as multiple terrorists descended on Baisaran Valley, known as "Mini Switzerland" - a tourist hotspot with rolling hills and verdant orchards - and opened fire last week. Eyewitnesses said that as the gunshots rang out, there was panic among the tourists who ran for cover. However, there was no place for them to hide in the wide, open space.

India took strict action and decided to suspend the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan indefinitely. All Pakistani nationals living in India have also been sent back. Both India and Pakistan have shut down their airspace for each other.