Srinagar : A South African couple’s plan to celebrate their 38th marriage anniversary in Kashmir ended in disappointment due to the security clampdown but they are hopeful of returning to the Valley when the situation improves.Neil Storm and his wife Merrill had arrived in the Valley on August 2, a day after visiting Taj Mahal, to observe the special day of their life and had chalked out a plan to celebrate the rest of the week in Kashmir. “We are leaving disappointed…We had planned a trek in the mountains but it could not materialise as the forces have blocked everything,” Storm, a retired Army personnel, told PTI minutes before leaving for Delhi.However, he said they will return to the valley once the situation improves here.“We will like to come back any other time because our hosts were so beautiful and nice. We liked this place and it is time to keep in touch with our hosts to know the exact situation so that we can plan our trip accordingly without any disturbance or wasting so much money,” he said.He said though he has a six-month Indian visa, establishing contact with the Kashmiri host to get an advice is not possible because of snapping of communication lines at the moment.“We will be happy if we return to the Valley…Sooner the best,” he said. Curfew-like restrictions are in force in most parts of Kashmir Valley with mobile, landline and Internet services snapped to scuttle any protest over scrapping of provisions of Article 370 and bifurcation of the State into two Union Territories by the Government earlier this week.
