US advises citizens against visiting Kashmir after Pahalgam attack

Washington: The United States has updated its travel advisory for India, warning its citizens against traveling to Jammu and Kashmir and areas within 10 kilometers of the India-Pakistan border. The revised guidelines were issued on Wednesday, a day after militants opened fire on tourists in Pahalgam, a popular destination in Kashmir.

The US Department of State said in its advisory that “terrorist attacks and violent civil lawlessness are possible in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir” and advised citizens to avoid the region, except for the eastern Ladakh area and its capital, Leh.

“Sporadic violence continues in the region and this is common along the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan,” the advisory added. It noted that incidents of violence also occur at tourist spots such as Srinagar, Gulmarg and Pahalgam.

In the same update, the US urged citizens to stay away from areas within 10 kilometers of the India-Pakistan border due to concerns of armed conflict.

The travel advisory comes amid heightened tensions following the Pahalgam attack, which took place on Tuesday. In a similar incident in 2019, 26 people — most of them tourists — were killed in what was then the deadliest attack in the Valley since Pulwama.

In response to the recent violence and alleged cross-border links, India on Wednesday suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty and downgraded diplomatic ties with Pakistan. This includes the expulsion of Pakistani military attachés from India.