National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday returned to Srinagar by the recently launched Vande Bharat Express after an overnight stay at the Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra.
"Had a great 'darshan' and I am hopeful that all our prayers for peace, progress and brotherhood at the shrine will be answered so that we can move forward and our country also marches ahead and we become part of its development trajectory," the former chief minister told reporters on his return.
The 87-year-old Abdullah took his maiden ride in the Vande Bharat Express, which connects Kashmir to the rest of the country, to reach Katra on Tuesday. He stayed at the sanctum sanctorium overnight and took part in special prayers at the shrine.
He was accompanied by his grandsons Zamir and Zahid, Jammu and Kashmir minister Satish Sharma, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's advisor Nasir Aslam Wani and several NC legislators, including chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq.
Asked about his overnight stay at the shrine, Abdullah said, "I felt very happy."
"I came here by train and this service is a new beginning for us. This will not only benefit the pilgrims coming to visit Mata but also prove beneficial for the pilgrims intending to visit the Amarnath cave shrine and they will also come in large numbers. This will benefit tourism in J&K," he added.
Talking to PTI at the shrine late on Tuesday night, minister Sharma said Abdullah had expressed his desire to visit the Vaishno Devi shrine during his visit to Mela Kheer Bhawani in Ganderbal on June 3.
"We had darshan thrice after reaching this holy town (Katra), which is a great blessing for us… Abdullah walked two to three kilometres to reach the court and we prayed for J&K to get back its lost glory. J&K is India's crown and we want to reach that height again," he said.
The minister said they prayed for India's progress at the global level.
Sharma described the trip as "historic" and said they will remember it till eternity.
He said they also prayed for the victims of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and shelling by Pakistan.
"They (Pakistanis) will never succeed in their nefarious designs. Terrorism is an industry but our brave forces gave them a befitting reply. They will meet the same fate in future if they try to do any mischief," the minister said.
NC provincial president Rattan Lal Gupta said Abdullah's visit has sent a positive message across the country and "we are hopeful that the tourism industry, which has suffered a major setback in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, will be back on track soon".
"Abdullah's overnight stay at the shrine saw an immediate increase in the footfall of pilgrims. We are hopeful that this momentum will further increase in the coming days," he said.
Gupta said the team attended all the special prayers and all its members, except Abdullah, also visited Bhairon Ghati to offer prayers.
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