Pahalgam: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will convene a special cabinet meeting in Pahalgam today, marking the first time during his tenure that the cabinet meets outside the usual summer capital Srinagar or winter capital Jammu.

The meeting comes more than a month after a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. The government said the meeting aims to send a strong message against terrorism and violence in the Union Territory.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has previously held cabinet meetings in remote areas such as Gurez and Tangdhar in Kashmir and Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu during his earlier term as Chief Minister from 2009 to 2014. This special meeting in Pahalgam is seen as a symbolic gesture to express solidarity with the residents of the tourist town, which has suffered a sharp decline in visitors since the attack.

After the Pahalgam attack, India carried out precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan in what was called ‘Operation Sindoor.’ The two countries engaged in several days of military action before agreeing to halt hostilities on May 10.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah recently proposed a dual approach to revive Jammu and Kashmir’s tourism sector, urging the Centre to direct public sector units to hold meetings in Kashmir and to convene parliamentary committee sessions there. “This meeting symbolises our commitment to restoring peace and tourism in the region,” Omar Abdullah said.

Last month, on April 28, during a special day-long assembly session in Jammu, the Jammu and Kashmir government unanimously passed a resolution condemning the Pahalgam attack. The resolution affirmed the government’s resolve to defeat efforts aimed at disturbing communal harmony and hindering progress.