Dear brothers and sisters of Kashmir, In the shadow of our majestic mountains, whispers of division and despair sometimes echo from distant corners. Hate-filled publications and fake-news magazines distributed by outlawed radical organizations, paint a distorted picture of oppression and call for futile resistance. These are not voices of liberation but tools of manipulation, designed to exploit our youth and serve foreign agendas.
Rooted in Pakistan-backed propaganda, they ignore the ground reality: Kashmir is blooming anew. Since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, our land has shifted from conflict to confidence, from isolation to integration. This is not imposition, it’s empowerment. Let us walk through the facts, not the fiction, and see how this change has uplifted every Kashmiri, paving a road to progress that militant rhetoric can never match.
A Safer Kashmir: From Turmoil to Tranquillity
For decades, our valleys resonated with the sounds of unrest, stone pelting, strikes, and senseless violence. Militant groups glorified this chaos as “jihad,” but it only brought suffering to our families. Today, the data tells a different story. Post-2019, terrorist incidents have plummeted by 70%, with civilian deaths reduced by 81% and security personnel fatalities down by 48%. Overall fatalities from militancy dropped from 283 in 2019 to just 92 in 2025. Local youth recruitment into militant ranks, once a tragic lure, has crashed from 143 in 2019 to a mere 7 in 2024. Stone pelting incidents, which numbered over 2,000 annually before, are now virtually zero.
This peace isn’t abstract, it’s felt in our daily lives. Schools have operated uninterrupted for five years, allowing our children to dream beyond disruption. Muharram processions, banned for 34 years, now proceed with dignity, fostering communal harmony. Cinema halls, shuttered for three decades, have reopened, bringing joy and normalcy to our evenings. Even Navreh celebrations by Kashmiri Pandits returned after 32 years, symbolizing healing. These aren’t impositions; they’re restorations of our shared heritage, free from the fear that militants once imposed.
Why this shift?
Sustained counter-insurgency efforts have neutralized threats, with 68 militants eliminated in 2024 alone, 42 of them foreign. Foreign terrorists now dominate (65% of those killed), exposing how groups like Hizbul rely on outsiders, not local will. Kashmiris are choosing life over loss, rejecting the brainwashing that turns sons into statistics.
Economic Empowerment: Investments Flowing In, Opportunities Growing
Militant propaganda claims “occupation” stifles growth, but the abrogation has unlocked Kashmir’s potential. Jammu and Kashmir’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) is projected to rise 11.19% in 2024-25, reaching Rs 2.65 lakh crore, with per capita income climbing to Rs 1.54 lakh. This isn’t rhetoric, its real progress, driven by integration with India’s economy. Investments have surged: Over 8,500 proposals worth Rs 1.69 lakh crore, promising 6 lakh jobs. Actual inflows since 2019 total Rs 10,516 crore, up from pre-2019 stagnation. In 2023-24 alone, Rs 3,628 crore arrived, creating 26,032 jobs, a 68% rise from the previous year. Industrial parks in Budgam, Samba, and Kathua are hubs of activity, with 414 new units registered in 2023.
Unemployment is dipping as youth turn to entrepreneurship. Under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme, participation has soared, funding small businesses and self-reliance.
Tax revenues have jumped: Non-tax income up 25%, excise by 39%, GST by 12% between 2022-2024.
This is development for Kashmiris, by Kashmiris, far from the exploitation militants promise.
Tourism Revival: Our Paradise Reclaimed
Kashmir’s beauty was once overshadowed by fear. Now, it’s a beacon of hope. In 2023, a record 2.11 crore tourists visited, contributing 7% to our GDP. From January to June 2024, 1.08 crore arrived, with 95 lakhs domestic and 19,570 foreign visitors.
Even after challenges like the 2025 Pahalgam incident, recovery is swift, Gulmarg saw 100% hotel occupancy, and lesser-known spots like Sonmarg thrived.
This boom creates jobs: Homestays, guides, artisans—all benefit. Women, in particular, have found financial independence through tourism ventures. Foreign arrivals surged 2.5 times post-abrogation, signalling global confidence in our peace.
Militants’ attempts to disrupt this through isolated attacks, only highlight their irrelevance, as Kashmiris prioritize prosperity over peril.
Social Welfare: Benefits Reaching Every Home
Before 2019, many central schemes bypassed us. Now, they’re lifelines. Under PMAY, 1.99 lakh homes sanctioned, including 46,000 for SC/ST families. Ayushman Bharat provides health coverage to millions; PM Kisan supports farmers. Over 80 schemes, from MNREGA to Ladli Beti, empower women, children, and the elderly.
Marginalized groups thrive: West Pakistan refugees, once denied rights, now access reservations. Dalits, tribals, and OBCs gain educational and job quotas.
Infrastructure leaps: Two AIIMS campuses, Vande Bharat trains slicing through Banihal, and power projects harnessing the Indus.
These aren’t distant dreams; they’re delivering dignity to our doorsteps.
Democracy’s Dawn: Voices Amplified, Not Silenced
Elections were once marred by fear; now, they’re festivals of participation. High turnout in recent polls reflects trust. Over 35,000 elected representatives drive local governance. RTI, RTE, and anti-corruption laws apply, ensuring transparency.
This is true self-determination.
Kashmiris shaping their future, not outsiders dictating it.
Unmasking the Militant Mirage: Irrelevance and Exploitation
Hizbul Mujahideen and similar groups aren’t saviours, they’re exploiters. They use social media to romanticize violence, radicalize youth with false promises of “jihad,” and glorify death. But their influence wanes: Declining local recruits show Kashmiris see through the propaganda.
Backed by Pakistan’s ISI, they serve agendas that drain our blood for foreign gains. Their calls for “resurgence” are desperate attempts to revive a dying cause, brainwashing our youth into cannon fodder while leaders hide abroad.
Kashmiris know better: Militancy brings graves, not glory. Peace brings schools, jobs, and families intact.
A Call to Our Youth: Choose the Future You Deserve
Young Kashmiris, your potential is boundless. Don’t let outdated magazines and hate-filled publications trap you in cycles of hate. Embrace the opportunities: Skill programs, startups, tourism ventures. Our land is healing, join in building it.
Militants offer illusions; India offers inclusion.
Let’s choose peace, progress, and a prosperous Kashmir for generations to come.
Jai Kashmir, Jai Hind.
