Chill wind in the Valley

No major protests or encounters took place and travel to the Mughal gardens and monuments in provincial districts of Anantnag and Baramulla was unhindered

The irony is that till the precipitate evacuation of pilgrims and tourists that prefaced the “integration” of Jammu & Kashmir by parliamentary vote, the Valley was having its best summer season since the killing of terrorist-turned-martyr Burhan Wani in July 2016.

The hotels and houseboats of Srinagar were packed, hardly a spare room available in Gulmarg and Pahalgam, and the bazaars buzzed with shoppers and holidaymakers. Friends and colleagues returning from vacation reported that (despite the paramilitary presence) a mood of relative calm prevailed. No major protests or encounters took place and travel to the Mughal gardens and monuments in provincial