Kolkata: Sahanaz P Ahmed, a dentist from Rajarhat, who is on a holiday in Kashmir with a group, had already left for Pahalmagm, when she received a call from a relative, alerting her about the terror attack.
"The call got disconnected a number of times due to poor signal, but finally, we managed to get the information. It was spine-chilling. We were told Kashmir was now safe for tourists, and so had made this plan. The perception changed instantly. We cancelled our Pahalgam plan," she said. "Our tour operator, Nasima Sultana, too, called to say we should stop at Shopian. We spent a tense drive till we reached Shopian and entered a hotel there."
Sahanaz said as they travelled, they saw security being stepped up. "Every car was being checked. The security personnel's presence did help boost some confidence. Now we will return to Srinagar and wait for our return train on April 27," she said.
Nasima, who organises tours from Bengal, was guiding 32 tourists from Bengal to Pahalgam. "I have been bringing tourists from Bengal to J&K for the past five years, but there has never been such an experience," she said. "Now, we are all a bit scared. Around 9 pm, Army officers met us and told us not to fear. They shared their numbers with us."