Srinagar, Dec 30: Jammu and Kashmir’s aspirations for statehood restoration suffered major setbacks this year, marked by the devastating Pahalgam terror attack, cross-border shelling, natural calamities, and the Delhi car blast that collectively left the Union Territory reeling.
The elected government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah actively pushed for statehood restoration during its first six months in office. However, the deadly terrorist strike on tourists at Baisaran meadows in Pahalgam on April 22 abruptly halted any immediate progress on the statehood issue.
Terrorists gunned down 26 people—25 tourists and a local ponywalla—in an attack that sent shockwaves across the country. Survivors alleged that assailants selected targets after confirming they were not Muslims, adding a communal dimension to the tragedy.
The attack sparked unprecedented condemnation across Kashmir. For the first time in 35 years, spontaneous protests erupted throughout the valley with demonstrators declaring: “Not in my name.”
On May 7, Indian forces launched cross-border strikes to avenge the massacre. The fallout was immediate—Pakistan’s retaliatory shelling hit border areas of Poonch, Rajouri, Kupwara, and Baramulla, claiming 20 lives and destroying over 2,000 structures, including three dozen schools.
On July 28, authorities announced the elimination of the April 22 perpetrators in Operation Mahadev at Dachigam forest in Harwan.
As the region struggled to recover from violence, nature dealt another blow. A cloudburst in Kishtwar on August 14 killed over 50 people. Flash floods ravaged standing crops across Jammu and Kashmir, with the Tawi River in Jammu coming into spate for the first time in over a decade.
The floods washed away a significant stretch of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, severing road connectivity between Kashmir and the rest of India for weeks.
In early November, J&K Police—along with counterparts in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh—unearthed a white-collar terror module involving highly educated professionals radicalizing youth. Several doctors were arrested during sweeping raids.
Massive quantities of explosives were seized from a Kashmiri doctor’s rented room in Faridabad, while weapons and incriminating material were recovered from a medical college hostel in Anantnag.
On November 10, one of the suspects—Dr Umar Nabi—was killed in a car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort Metro Station. Investigators said the explosion occurred while Nabi attempted to relocate explosives in his possession. The blast killed 10 people and injured scores.
Four days later, on November 14, disaster struck again when 2,900 kilograms of explosive material seized from Faridabad and stored at Nowgam police station detonated, killing nine people.
The violence and natural disasters left the Union Territory grappling with a severe fund crunch. Tourism collapsed after the Pahalgam attack, with the valley’s vibrant visitor season ending abruptly. Indo-Pakistan tensions following Operation Sindoor kept tourists away, while the closure of nearly 50 popular spots on security grounds by the lieutenant governor ended hopes of revival. Though most have since reopened, tourism continues to limp back with sparse footfall.
Horticulture, Kashmir’s other economic mainstay, suffered when the flood-damaged national highway closed during peak apple harvesting season. Timely intervention by the Union Railway Ministry minimized losses by transporting Kashmiri apples to terminal markets by train until the highway was restored.
The introduction of Vande Bharat—the direct rail link between Kashmir and the rest of India—provided some relief in an otherwise grim year. The train reduced travel time and costs while facilitating food grain transport for civilians and heavy equipment for armed forces.
