Ashoke Pandit on Atul Kulkarni's visit to Pahalgam after terror attack: ‘I asked him not to talk about such issues on…'

Hindustan Times

01-05-2025

Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit has reacted to actor Atul Kulkarni's recent visit to Kashmir following the ghastly terror attack that took place in the Pahalgam region earlier this month. Atul Kulkarni's visit was intended to encourage people to continue visiting the region to support its tourism industry. (Also Read | Atul Kulkarni visits Pahalgam after terrorist attack, asks people not to cancel vacation: Humara Kashmir hai, hum ayenge)
While speaking to ANI, the filmmaker, commenting on Atul's approach, stated that it overlooks the deeper issue of "terrorism" in the region. He also expressed disappointment that Atul "never condemned" the fact that 'Islamic Jihad was behind this incident'.
Calling the attack an "undeclared war" against India, Ashoke said, "The massacre that happened in Pahalgam was an undeclared war that Pakistan wages against India. Be it Atul Kulkarni or Suniel Shetty, they stated that tourism continues to flourish here, and by doing so, we can give a reply to terrorists..."
"We, the Kashmiri Pandits who rate the victims, always say that tourism has nothing to do with terrorism. Even when crores of people are going there, this incident still happened. Terrorism is constant there... I appealed to Atul to study things and not handle and talk about such issues on a surface level. We all know that Kashmir is ours, but at such a time, you cannot take it as a joke... He never condemned that Islamic Jihad was behind this incident, and Hindus were killed selectively. He didn't condemn that, but was worried about tourism," he added.
Earlier, while Atul was in Kashmir, he expressed his deep sadness over the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. He revealed that he was moved by the news of "90 percent of tourist bookings" being cancelled and decided to visit Kashmir in person to send a message of support, instead of just discussing the incident from Mumbai.
A post shared by Atul Kulkarni (@atulkulkarni_official)
"What happened on the 22nd was a very tragic incident; this should not have happened. The entire country is deeply saddened. When I read about it, I was thinking that every time something like this happens, what do we do? We post on social media, we talk to friends, we write something, but then I thought, what can I actually do in real action?" Atul told ANI.
Earlier, at the sidelines of the Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award 2025 ceremony, Suniel Shetty had also urged Indian citizens to plan their next holiday in Kashmir and nowhere else, while speaking to the media.
"Hume nagrik ki taraf se ek hi karna hai, hume ye decide karna hai ki aaj se hamari agli chutti jo hogi, woh Kashmir mein hi hogi aur kahin nahi hogi. Unko ye dikhana hai ki hume darr nahi hai, aur waqi mein darr nahi hai (As a citizen, we have to do one thing. We have to decide that our next holiday will be in Kashmir and nowhere else. We have to show them that we are not scared)," said Suniel Shetty.
On April 22, terrorists attacked tourists at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, killing 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen, while leaving several others injured in one of the deadliest attacks in the Valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike, in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans were killed.