Srinagar: For the first time in decades, the story of Jammu and Kashmir is no longer dominated by guns, bullets, dead bodies, or government buildings gutted in separatist fires. As the year 2025 draws to a close, the dominant narrative is one of roads and railways, classrooms and connectivity, opportunity and aspiration.
Headlines this year were largely free from the routine cycle of insurgency and counter-insurgency.
The lone exception was the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, in which 26 innocent tourists and a local pony owner were killed — an incident that briefly brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.
Beyond that tragic episode, however, 2025 in Kashmir and the rest of Jammu and Kashmir has been defined by infrastructure upgrades, a railway link connecting the Valley to the rest of the country, improved educational facilities, and the steady emergence of a peace-driven development narrative that has overshadowed decades of violence and mayhem.
Opportunity, connectivity and empowerment — combined with the presence of an elected government and close coordination with security forces under the leadership of Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha — have made it possible for people to look beyond terrorism in 2025.
Increasingly, public voices have been heard condemning terrorism and the decades of deprivation it inflicted on ordinary citizens.
The pain and tragedy of families whose loved ones were killed by terrorists are now being acknowledged and addressed in ways rarely seen during the long years of conflict.
“These people suffered in silence — unheard, without justice and often without even a dignified burial for their loved ones,” the L-G said during the year.
“Their hour of reckoning has finally come.”
In 2025, this translated into concrete measures: registration of long-pending FIRs, government jobs for next of kin, compensation, and public recognition of their suffering.
While terrorism may not yet be entirely residual, as official statements sometimes suggest, there is little doubt that it no longer dictates the narrative in Kashmir.
People increasingly speak of terrorism in the past tense — perhaps the strongest endorsement of the administration’s efforts.
The year was not without political friction.
Tensions surfaced between Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and L-G Manoj Sinha over the division of powers between the elected government and Raj Bhavan.
Having earlier served as the Chief Minister of a full-fledged state, Omar Abdullah faces the challenge of adapting to the altered realities of governing a Union Territory — an adjustment that could ease institutional misunderstandings going forward.
On the development front, connectivity remained a defining theme.
The inauguration of the Sonamarg Tunnel by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2025 marked a major milestone, significantly improving all-weather access.
Rail connectivity expanded further with the introduction and extension of Vande Bharat services to Srinagar, boosting tourism, trade and ancillary sectors such as hospitality and retail.
Education remained firmly in focus.
The Economic Survey 2024-25 highlighted major investments in schooling, including thousands of smart classrooms, ICT labs and early childhood education centres.
Vocational education expanded to more than 1,000 schools, reaching more than 1.4 lakh students and aligning skill development with modern job markets.
Schools and colleges are increasingly transforming into vibrant centres of learning rather than distant, under-resourced outposts.
Leisure, culture and community life also saw a revival.
Public spaces, events and recreational avenues expanded, giving people a sense of normalcy — and time — to live rather than merely survive.
For many, the once-constant urgency to rush home to avoid crossfire is now a memory.
Public and private investment is reshaping Jammu and Kashmir’s hospitality and industrial sectors. These investments are strengthening road networks, promoting commerce, and supporting skill-based employment aligned with local aspirations.
Between 2020 and 2024, domestic tourist arrivals surged nearly tenfold, reflecting renewed confidence among travellers and residents alike.
The momentum continued in 2025 with the launch of Asia’s longest ski drag lift in Gulmarg in December, significantly enhancing winter tourism infrastructure and positioning Jammu and Kashmir as an international destination for snow sports and adventure tourism.
The cumulative shift is unmistakable. Stone-pelting, separatist-called shutdowns, street violence, arson and the pervasive fear that once defined daily life have largely vanished.
The separatist narrative has steadily given way to one of growth — of individual and collective aspirations driven by confidence that the worst lies behind.
As 2025 ends and 2026 dawns, Jammu and Kashmir stands at the cusp of a long-awaited new chapter — one shaped less by conflict and more by hope, opportunity and a shared vision of a more prosperous future.
(IANS)
