IN A BOOST to insurgency-hit Indian Kashmir’s tourism industry, Germany said on Monday (July 25) it had changed its travel advisory for its nationals to say foreigners were not a “target”.
Germany has become the first foreign country to amend its travel advisory following a sharp decline in militant violence in the scenic Himalayan region.
“The travel advisory issued by the FFO (Federal Foreign Office) for German nationals travelling to the region (Kashmir) has been revised,” German embassy spokesman Jens Urban said in a faxed message.
“The situation has now calmed down considerably,” the new advisory says, adding that “foreigners are generally not direct targets of clashes.”
The travel advisories of other foreign countries urge their citizens not to travel to Indian Kashmir in light of the insurgency.
India and Pakistan each hold part of the disputed region and both claim it fully, although a slow-moving peace process is under way.
The German move was welcomed by Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah who called it a “pragmatic decision.”
“I hope that other European countries and the US will follow the lead of Germany,” Omar told reporters. There had been a “dramatic improvement” in security in the region, he said.
