Gurez Valley which is located in north Kashmir, used to be out of bounds or inaccessible to tourists or civilians but now it is all set to open for the tourists. The high altitude of Gurez Valley in North Kashmir was restricted due to frequent shelling from Pakistan. But now it is being connected with Mishkoh Valley located in Kargil’s Drass Sector, Ladakh, where the war was found between India and Pakistan in 1999. Recent reports have claimed that the road which is 130 km long has been opened for civilians and tourists. This major development was made after more than two decades. Let’s discuss this development in detail. Continue reading this article. Scroll down for more details.
Battlefield of Kargil War Opens For Tourists
This year, the battlefield of the Kargil War is on the tourist map. Yes, Mushkoh Valley which is resounded with artillery gunfire has been opened. This major development was made after India and Pakistan inked the ceasefire agreement that held for a total of 43 months after the relentless efforts made by the administration and the people in the area. Therefore, civilians are hoping that the prevailing peace will furnish monetary advantage from tourism. Bilal Lone who is a herder of Zumba Yak and resides in Gurez Valley’s Buduaab village said he is looking forward to seeing tourists plying on the route that connects Kashmir Valley with Ladakh.
Mr. Lone also said, “Most villagers had to flee the Gurez valley during the Kargil war. It’s peaceful now. The government’s plans to open the Gurez Valley to the Mushkoh Valley will rejoin what is culturally one community. We all speak Shina, but have remained disconnected since 1999,” he said. “The government needs to improve road infrastructure and upgrade facilities for tourists,” “Most villagers had to flee the Gurez valley during the Kargil war. It’s peaceful now. The government’s plans to open the Gurez Valley to the Mushkoh Valley will rejoin what is culturally one community. We all speak Shina, but have remained disconnected since 1999,” he said. “The government needs to improve road infrastructure and upgrade facilities for tourists,”
Kindly note that Gurez Valley has a population of 38000 people. So far, the valley has welcomed more than 50,000 tourists this year. Deputy Commissioner of Bandipora, Owais Ahmad said this is a huge leap, as the maximum number of tourists that ever visited Gurez in a year, prior to 2020, was 5,000. Stay tuned to this website.