When Article 370 of the Indian Constitution was abrogated on August 5, 2019, it was not just a constitutional and political shift for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir; it was a seismic event in the decades-long dispute between India and Pakistan. The special status, which had allowed Jammu and Kashmir to maintain a degree of autonomy since its accession to India in 1947, was always at the heart of Pakistan’s narrative on Kashmir. For Islamabad, the move not only dismantled a symbol of its political rhetoric but also weakened its propaganda tools at the international stage. As India integrated Jammu and Kashmir more firmly into its constitutional framework, Pakistan found itself increasingly isolated diplomatically, economically, and strategically on the Kashmir question. The pain was not just symbolic it was a deep wound to Pakistan’s long-standing strategy of using Kashmir as both a domestic rallying cry and an international bargaining chip.
In the months following the abrogation, Pakistan attempted an all-out diplomatic offensive, calling emergency meetings of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, raising the issue at the United Nations, and issuing repeated statements condemning India’s move. Yet, despite the noise, the world’s response was largely muted. Global powers, prioritising strategic partnerships with India, especially in trade, security, and technology, refrained from taking Pakistan’s side. Many countries even indirectly endorsed India’s position that the abrogation was an “internal matter.” This diplomatic cold shoulder intensified Pakistan’s frustration. The narrative Islamabad had built over decades was crumbling, and the lack of international condemnation further eroded its claim to moral or political high ground.
What hurt Pakistan even more was the gradual transformation of the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir. In the years after the abrogation, despite initial security restrictions and political detentions, the region began to show signs of stability and economic revival. Major infrastructure projects, from new highways and tunnels to improved power supply and modernised healthcare facilities, started reshaping daily life. Tourism saw record-breaking surges, with millions visiting the valley each year, bringing much-needed revenue and showcasing an image of normalcy that directly countered Pakistan’s portrayal of Kashmir as a place in constant turmoil. This visual and statistical evidence of progress became a powerful counter-narrative to Islamabad’s depiction of a people oppressed and yearning for freedom from India. For Pakistan, every image of a bustling Srinagar market, a newly opened school, or a thriving tourist spot was a blow to its propaganda machinery.
The economic aspect of J&K’s post-370 progress has been particularly unsettling for Pakistan. For decades, Pakistan’s argument was that Kashmir’s development was stifled by India’s neglect and that the people of the region were living in deprivation. However, the removal of Article 370 allowed for the full application of Indian laws and schemes, attracting private investment, boosting entrepreneurship, and improving governance. The Indian government’s outreach to industries, the introduction of new job policies, and the expansion of central welfare schemes to the region created tangible change. This shift not only undercut Pakistan’s talking points but also posed an uncomfortable comparison with Pakistan-administered regions of Gilgit-Baltistan and so-called “Azad Jammu and Kashmir,” where infrastructure and economic development lag far behind, plagued by mismanagement, political instability, and lack of resources.
Pakistan’s frustration has also been compounded by its own internal crises. The years following 2019 have been turbulent for Islamabad, with political instability, economic downturn, inflation, and deteriorating law and order dominating headlines. In such a scenario, its ability to keep Kashmir at the forefront of international attention diminished significantly. The Pakistani public, grappling with their own day-to-day hardships, began to question the government’s decades-old policy of focusing so much energy on Kashmir while domestic governance was failing. This erosion of domestic consensus further weakened Pakistan’s stance. The contrast was stark: on one side, a Jammu and Kashmir slowly stabilising and developing within the Indian Union; on the other, a Pakistan struggling to maintain its own cohesion and economic health.
Security dynamics have also shifted in a way that has intensified Pakistan’s discomfort. While militancy in Jammu and Kashmir has not been completely eliminated, there has been a notable decline in the number of terror incidents, recruitment of local youth by militant groups, and infiltration attempts across the Line of Control. This is largely attributed to improved intelligence, better coordination between security agencies, and stricter counterterrorism measures. The decline in violence directly undermines Pakistan’s decades-long strategy of fuelling unrest through cross-border terrorism. With fewer incidents to showcase, Islamabad finds it harder to sustain its narrative of widespread rebellion against Indian rule. The changing sentiment among sections of Kashmiri youth, who now see education, jobs, and stability as better options than militancy, is particularly galling for Pakistan, as it signals a shift in the socio-political fabric that once offered fertile ground for its influence.
Internationally, Pakistan’s repeated attempts to paint the abrogation as a violation of human rights and international law have found little traction beyond its traditional allies. Countries in the Gulf, which were once vocal in supporting Pakistan’s position, have deepened their ties with India, signing strategic partnerships, investing in infrastructure, and even awarding honours to Indian leaders. This realignment has left Pakistan diplomatically cornered, making its protests sound more like a lone voice than a global outcry. The changing geopolitics, especially with the rise of India’s economic and strategic clout, has shifted the balance further. For Islamabad, watching former allies embrace New Delhi while ignoring its appeals has been a bitter pill to swallow.
The symbolism of integration also weighs heavily on Pakistan’s psyche. The very notion that Jammu and Kashmir, which it has claimed as its own for decades, is now being fully absorbed into the Indian mainstream is a strategic and ideological defeat. The celebration of national events, the increasing participation of J&K students in pan-India programs, and the region’s growing representation in national institutions send a clear message that the special status is not coming back. Every year that passes without reversal solidifies the new reality, leaving Pakistan’s leadership with fewer options to keep the “Kashmir cause” alive in any meaningful way.
Adding to Pakistan’s unease is the growing awareness among the international community of its role in perpetuating militancy in the region. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) scrutiny and global pressure to act against terror financing have constrained Islamabad’s ability to openly support militant proxies. This curtailment of its covert tools further erodes its influence in Kashmir. Meanwhile, India’s outreach to the global community on the issue of cross-border terrorism has found receptive ears, particularly after high-profile attacks like Pulwama in 2019 exposed the infrastructure of terror operating from Pakistani soil.
Media coverage has also shifted in ways that hurt Pakistan’s narrative. The once sympathetic portrayal of Kashmir in some international outlets has been replaced by more nuanced or even favourable reports about development, tourism, and cultural revival. Indian public diplomacy, aided by social media, has flooded the global information space with stories of positive change. This steady drip of progress stories makes it harder for Pakistan to keep the conflict alive in the public imagination abroad.
Perhaps the deepest wound for Pakistan lies in the psychological shift. For decades, it nurtured the belief and projected to its people that the Kashmir dispute was an unresolved international issue waiting for Pakistan’s diplomatic and moral pressure to bear fruit. The abrogation of Article 370 shattered that illusion. It signalled that India was willing to take decisive unilateral action to settle its constitutional relationship with J&K, regardless of Pakistan’s protests. The lack of significant international backlash reinforced the sense that the world was ready to move on, even if Pakistan was not. This has left Islamabad grappling with a new reality in which its leverage over the issue has diminished to the point of near irrelevance.
In the five years since the abrogation, Jammu and Kashmir’s gradual return to normalcy, its infrastructural growth, and the decline in militancy have all worked to India’s advantage, both domestically and internationally. For Pakistan, these developments represent not just a setback but a slow erosion of its decades-old policy. The pain is not just in losing a propaganda war but in watching a narrative carefully cultivated over generations collapse in the face of facts on the ground. The more Jammu and Kashmir integrates with India’s economic and political systems, the harder it becomes for Pakistan to argue for its “disputed” status. Each new investment, each new road, each new tourist season becomes another reminder that the clock is running out on Islamabad’s long-cherished ambitions.
The story of Pakistan’s pain with J&K’s progress post-370 is thus one of diplomatic isolation, narrative collapse, and strategic defeat. It is also a reflection of broader shifts in regional geopolitics, where economic pragmatism increasingly trumps ideological positions. As India consolidates its hold over Jammu and Kashmir and focuses on development, Pakistan faces the unenviable task of either recalibrating its stance or clinging to a cause that no longer commands the same urgency in the eyes of the world. In the end, it is not just the abrogation of a constitutional provision that has hurt Pakistan; it is the steady march of progress in Jammu and Kashmir that undermines the very foundation of its decades-old claims, leaving it with little more than rhetoric to offer its people and the international community.
PAKISTAN’S PAIN WITH J&K’S PROGRESS POST 370 ABROGATION
