SRINAGAR: Six years after the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories, the region stands at a crossroads of transformation. While militancy and separatist activities have significantly declined and developmental projects are gaining pace, including the Valley’s rail connectivity with the rest of India, the persistent demand for the restoration of statehood continues to shape the political discord.
There are also rumour mills that the Centre may restore partial statehood to J&K or further bifurcate Jammu from Kashmir and grant statehood to Jammu and keep Kashmir under its control as UT.
Post Article 370 abrogation, Kashmir has seen a significant reduction in unrest. Stone-pelting incidents, which were a daily occurrence before August 5, 2019, have ended. Militancy-related violence has declined significantly, and calls for shutdowns from separatist and militant groups have disappeared.
Separatist politics has taken a back seat with top separatist leaders, including Masrat Alam, Yasin Malik, Shabir Shah, Nayeem Khan, Asiya Andrabi are lodged in Tihar jail under charges related to anti-national activities. The once-busy Hurriyat Conference headquarters in Rajbagh has been shut since 2019, and its constituents have been banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Some former separatists have joined mainstream politics, and Hurriyat chairman and cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has largely limited public engagements to religious and social matters with occasional political statements.
Despite the relative peace in the Valley, the April 22 terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam was a major setback. The attack in which 25 tourists and a local pony wala were killed marked one of the deadliest civilian attacks in recent years. It brought India and Pakistan on the brink of war after the Indian military launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 7 to avenge the April 22 attack.
All three militants involved in the Pahalgam attack were killed in an encounter in the Dachigam forest area on Srinagar’s outskirts last week.
With militancy waning and separatism subdued, Jammu and Kashmir has attracted over Rs 80,000 crore in investments across various sectors in the past six years. In June this year, a key milestone was achieved when Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Katra-Srinagar train, thus connecting Srinagar to India’s railway network.
“This rail link is a game changer,” said Zahoor Ahmed, a trader in Srinagar.
“It opens up new markets for horticulture and handicrafts and improves access to healthcare, education, and jobs in remote areas. Faster and cheaper transport is expected to benefit apple growers and traders by reducing spoilage and increasing profits,” he said.
Tourism, too, has seen remarkable growth in the last six years. Over two crore tourists, including Amarnath pilgrims and Vaishno Devi pilgrims, visited J&K last year. The Tulip Garden in Srinagar recorded a historic 8.55 lakh visitors during its month-long bloom in 2025, up from 4.45 lakh in 2024.
However, politically, the J&K region remains in flux. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is the first elected CM of J&K UT, is facing governance challenges due to dual power centres in J&K.
The Lt Governor Manoj Sinha wields more power than J&K and has complete control over security and law enforcement agencies. There have been many occasions when CM expressed his dismay over his sidelining. Due to a power tussle between the CM and LG, J&K is without an Advocate General.
On July 14 this year, in an unexpected development, CM Omar was barred by police from entering the martyrs' graveyard in Srinagar to pay homage to the July 13, 1931. He was manhandled by the policemen and had to scale a boundary wall to enter the graveyard, as cops had placed barricades outside the graveyard.
The incident renewed calls for restoration of full statehood to J&K. Political parties, including the National Conference, Congress, PDP, Peoples Conference, and Apni Party are nor forcefully demanding restoration of statehood while Congress has organized protests in Srinagar, Jammu, and Delhi, and plans a hunger strike on August 9 to press for restoration of state status to J&K.
In the first cabinet meeting of Omar Abdullah's cabinet in October last year, a resolution demanding the restoration of state status was passed. Omar has since met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other central leaders to push the demand.
Despite these efforts, political observers note that the road to statehood may be long as the central government has not committed to any specific timeline but stressing that it will be restored “at an appropriate time.”
Meanwhile, rumour mills are circulating in J&K that the centre may restore partial statehood to J&K or further bifurcate Jammu from Kashmir and grant statehood to Jammu, which is the strong support base of the BJP and from where all its 29 MLAs were elected to the 90-member J&K Assembly.
According to these rumour mills, Kashmir will remain under the direct control of the centre and will remain a Union Territory without an Assembly.
Reacting to the rumour mills, J&K CM Omar Abdullah said he has heard every possible permutation & combination about what to expect in J&K, so let me stick my neck out and say nothing will happen tomorrow - fortunately nothing bad will happen but unfortunately nothing positive will happen either.
“I’m still optimistic about something positive for J&K in this monsoon session of Parliament, but not tomorrow. And no, I haven’t had any meetings or conversations with people in Delhi. This is just a gut feeling. Let’s see this time tomorrow,” he said.
It remains to be seen whether the rumour mills prove right this time again as was the case before August 5, 2019.