Pahalgam attack jolts Modi’s Kashmir’s normalcy narrative, but doesn’t collapse it

Srinagar: The April 22 terror attack in the Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians—mostly tourists—has delivered a grim reminder that peace in Jammu and Kashmir remains a fragile and evolving process.

While the attack does not unravel the post-Article 370 security and governance framework, it starkly punctures the narrative of total normalcy projected by the Union government since August 2019.

Since the abrogation of Article 370, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have consistently argued that the constitutional change uprooted the ecosystem of terrorism and separatism that had taken root in Kashmir. The BJP-led government claimed that ending Jammu and Kashmir’s special status would bring integration, investment, and irreversible peace to the region.

To a considerable extent, there has been progress. Street protests and stone-pelting incidents, once a daily reality in Kashmir’s urban centers, have nearly vanished. Recruitment into militant ranks has seen a marked decline. Cross-border infiltration has been significantly reduced, and several key militant networks have been dismantled through sustained counter-terror operations. Tourism, once crippled by frequent shutdowns and violence, reached record highs in 2022, 2023, 2024 and early 2025.

The peaceful conduct of Assembly elections in 2024—the first in the region since its reorganisation into a Union Territory—was touted as a historic return to representative governance. Although the legislative powers of the Assembly remain limited, the elections were seen as a step toward democratic restoration.

But the Pahalgam massacre complicates this success story.

Carried out in a zone long considered secure, and just weeks ahead of the annual Amarnath Yatra, the attack has exposed lapses in intelligence and gaps in security coordination. More importantly, it has shaken public confidence in the promise of uninterrupted peace.

“These successes must have been matched by political and security recalibration,” Prof Gul Wani, former head of the Political Science Department at the University of Kashmir, told DH. “For democracy to take root, representative institutions must be given real teeth. Political decentralisation, not just bureaucratic

He emphasised that Kashmir’s youth, in particular, have shown a strong desire for stability and opportunity. “But peace in Kashmir is not a straight road—it is a process full of detours and setbacks,” he added.

Despite the emotional and political impact of the Pahalgam attack, senior security officials caution against viewing it as a return to widespread militancy. “One terror attack does not necessarily mirror the mass insurgency of the 1990s or even the post-2016 unrest following Burhan Wani’s killing,” a senior police officer said, requesting anonymity.

“To allow one or even a few violent incidents to negate the broader trajectory of normalcy would be to play into the hands of the very actors who want to portray Kashmir as perpetually unstable,” he added.

However, the real challenge now lies in how the government responds—not just tactically, but politically. Sustained peace in Kashmir requires more than counter-terror operations and economic packages. It demands deeper democratic engagement, trust-building, and an acknowledgment that normalcy, in a place like Kashmir, is a journey—not a destination.