Is Kashmir safe?
Most foreign governments have issued negative travel advisory warnings on India's state of Jammu and Kashmir due to the political unrest suffered there since the late 1980s, with various militant groups seeking independence from India, or union with Pakistan. Governments of neither country has yet been prepared to openly endorse the apparent solution (independence - for the peoples of both Indian and Pakistan controlled Kashmir) to their squabblings over Kashmir. Thankfully, public security in Kashmir has improved significantly in recent times, due in part to improving relations between India and Pakistan.

Our observations: The atmosphere up in Gulmarg is entirely untroubled by any suggestion of public security issues. To the best of our knowledge, Gulmarg has never experienced acts of political violence of the type which plagued most of Kashmir throughout the 1990s and beyond. Possible reasons for this include Gulmarg's isolation and limited means of access, its lack of a permanent population, and the nearby presence of India's High Altitude Warfare School, which hosts a large number of Indian soldiers during the winter months. Down at Srinagar the military presence remains highly visible, particularly at the airport. Happily during our visits in 2004 and 2005 numerous women, young men and children were walking the streets of Srinagar, going about their daily business, in marked contrast to our experience in 1999 and 2000. Also noticeable in 2005 were the number of quality retail and food outlets that have recently opened or reopened in central Srinagar, including the delightful 'sweets cafes'.

Our overall impression: Whilst security remains an issue, ongoing acts of violence by those who oppose the status quo in Kashmir are most likely to be targeted at authority figures such as soldiers and police, as opposed to civilians or tourists. An unfortunate exception in April 2005 was the hostile reaction by two militants to the opening of the bus service between Srinagar (in Indian controlled Kashmir) and Muzaffarabad (in Pakistan controlled Kashmir), which resulted in the death of the militants, but no injuries to either police or civilians. The bus service proceeded and is promoted as one of a number of ongoing 'confidence building measures' between India and Pakistan. We are unaware of any political attacks aimed at foreign tourists in Kashmir, apart from the well publicised kidnapping and killing of a group of five trekkers in the summer of 1995.