Vijayawada, June 26 (UNI) Union Minister for Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has asserted that the number of tourists visiting Pahalgam in J and K has gone up, in the aftermath of the April 22 terrorist attack.



Addressing a press conference here today, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that he visited Pahalgam recently. “The tourists have started coming to Jammu and Kashmir. The influx to Pahalgam has gone up now, after the unfortunate incident,” he highlighted, referring to the terrorist attack there in which 26 tourists were killed.



The Union Minister reiterated that the Centre had decided to commemorate the 50th year of imposition of Emergency in the country as ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’. Indians should commemorate the darkest chapter of the Emergency to pay tributes to thousands of people who sacrificed to protect democracy in the country, he noted.



“Their sacrifice has preserved our constitution. Our freedom is not a gift but earned through sacrifices of thousands of people. The basic core of our constitution is human rights and freedom of speech,” he affirmed.



Shekhawat said that Emergency was imposed only to remain in power by the then rulers, who cited internal disturbances as the reason. Over one lakh people were arrested during the Emergency and press censorship was imposed while civil liberties were suspended, he recalled. The imposition of Emergency made the life of people in the country miserable, he said.



He emphasised the need of inculcating the message among people on protecting constitutional rights and institutions.

UNI DP RN