Six Years After the Abrogation of Article 370: Security, Democracy and the Myth of ‘Normalcy’ in Jammu & Kashmir with Special Reference to the 2025 Pahalgam Attack

TITLE	Six Years After the Abrogation of Article 370: Security, Democracy and the Myth of ‘Normalcy’ in Jammu & Kashmir with Special Reference to the 2025 Pahalgam Attack
ABSTRACT	The abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of the former State of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) into two Union Territories in August 2019 fundamentally altered India’s federal structure and the constitutional relationship between New Delhi and Srinagar. In December 2023, the Supreme Court of India upheld the Union government’s move, terming Article 370 a temporary provision and directing the restoration of statehood at a later date, thereby closing one major legal chapter but not the political debate. Since 2019, the Union government has projected a narrative of “normalcy” based on declining militancy, increased voter participation, and an upsurge in tourism and infrastructure projects. Official data indicate a substantial fall in terrorist incidents since 2018, accompanied by assertive “zero tolerance” counter-terror measures. At the same time, democratic processes have resumed: Lok Sabha elections in 2024 saw the highest turnout in J&K in over three and a half decades, and the 2024 Assembly elections recorded about 64% polling. Yet the 22 April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 tourists were killed in Baisaran Valley, exposed deep fault lines beneath the surface of this “normalcy”. It was one of the deadliest civilian attacks in Kashmir in nearly two decades, explicitly linked by perpetrators and sympathisers to post-2019 demographic and political changes The incident disrupted booming tourism, triggered new security lockdowns, and invited domestic and international criticism of India’s Kashmir policy. This paper argues that post-Article 370 J&K is marked by a security paradox: macro-level indicators of improved stability and electoral participation coexist with the persistence—and in some ways transformation—of militancy and alienation. Drawing on government data, court documents, election statistics, think-tank reports and media analyses, the paper examines (i) constitutional and political changes; (ii) evolving security trends; (iii) democratic participation after 2019; and (iv) competing narratives of normalcy and dissent. It concludes that while important gains have been made in security management and electoral revival, the Pahalgam attack demonstrates that unresolved political grievances, cross-border dynamics and narrative warfare continue to undermine sustainable peace. The paper suggests that any durable “normalcy” will require not only hard security and development, but also meaningful political accommodation, rights-based governance, and sustained engagement with all stakeholders in J&K.
AUTHOR	Dr Ruchika S Rathi, Anjali Yadav Assistant Professor, IIS Deemed to be University, Jaipur, India Research Scholar, IIS Deemed to be University, Jaipur, India
VOLUME	12
DOI	DOI:10.15680/IJARETY.2025.1206023
PDF	23_Six Years After the Abrogation of Article 370 Security, Democracy and the Myth of _Normalcy_ in Jammu & Kashmir with Special Reference to the 2025 Pahalgam Attack.pdf
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