By South Asia Press News Desk
As Jammu & Kashmir accelerates toward economic self-sufficiency and social vibrancy under Indian administration, the Pakistani-administered Kashmir—often branded “Azad Kashmir”—grapples with deepening unrest, economic stagnation, and governance failures.
Recent protests in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, sparked by skyrocketing utility bills and food costs, have evolved into a full-throated rebellion against Islamabad’s control, exposing the fragility of a region long propped up by subsidies rather than sustainable growth. In stark contrast, Indian Kashmir has transformed since the 2019 abrogation of Article 370, drawing investments, tourists, and talent while fostering an environment of normalcy and opportunity.
This disparity isn’t accidental. Experts and observers point to proactive Indian policies versus Pakistan’s reliance on aid and suppression, with Pakistani-administered Kashmir’s woes culminating in deadly clashes that have claimed at least 12 lives and injured over 200 in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, across the Line of Control, Indian Kashmir’s progress has inadvertently fueled Pakistan’s desperation, manifesting in sustained terrorism aimed at derailing India’s momentum.
Economic Surge in Indian-Administered Kashmir vs. Pakistani-Administered Kashmir’s Aid Dependency
Indian Kashmir’s economy has rebounded robustly post-2019, with a surge in investments, industrial expansion, and tourism driving growth. Key infrastructure like the Chenani-Nashri Tunnel and expanding railway networks have enhanced connectivity, unlocking sectors such as horticulture, handicrafts, and eco-tourism. Government-backed low-interest loans have spurred local enterprises—from saffron farms along the Srinagar-Jammu highway to cricket bat factories in Pulwama, each supporting 70-100 families. The result? A shift in local investment from portable gold to sprawling countryside villas, signaling deep-rooted confidence in long-term stability.
In Pakistani-administered Kashmir, however, economic life remains tethered to Islamabad’s financial lifelines, with chronic unemployment and subsistence agriculture dominating. Lacking industrialization or major markets, the region faces stagnation, exacerbated by political volatility that deters private investment. The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC)’s 38-point demands—slashing electricity tariffs, subsidizing wheat, and ending elite perks—underscore a populace weary of exploitation, where “Azad Kashmir” feels anything but free.
Infrastructure: Connectivity vs. Isolation
Indian Kashmir’s infrastructure renaissance has been nothing short of transformative, encompassing a wide array of projects designed to integrate the region more seamlessly with the rest of India. This includes the construction of new highways that cut travel times dramatically, extensive airport upgrades that have boosted air traffic and tourism inflows, and the iconic world’s highest railway bridge over the Chenab River—towering over 1,000 feet high—which not only facilitates seamless travel and commerce but also stands as a symbol of engineering prowess and commitment to development. Additionally, ongoing railway expansions connect remote valleys to urban centers, enabling faster movement of goods and people, while initiatives like the Chenani-Nashri Tunnel have revolutionized road transport by providing all-weather access through challenging mountainous terrain. The government’s ‘Back to Village’ program has played a crucial role in this progress, focusing on grassroots-level improvements such as electrifying remote villages, installing reliable water supply systems, and paving rural roads, all of which have supercharged local economies, particularly in rural tourism and agriculture by making these areas more accessible and livable.
In sharp contrast, Pakistani-administered Kashmir continues to suffer from severe infrastructural neglect, despite its strategic proximity to major urban centers like Islamabad, which could theoretically enable easier development. The region is plagued by dilapidated roads that become impassable during monsoons or harsh winters, inadequate public transport systems that leave residents reliant on outdated and overcrowded vehicles, and frequent power outages that disrupt daily life and economic activities. Essential services such as healthcare facilities and sanitation infrastructure are woefully underdeveloped, leading to widespread health issues and environmental concerns. Even basic connectivity remains a challenge, with many areas isolated due to the lack of investment in bridges, tunnels, or reliable telecommunications.
Recent protests have further highlighted these failings, as authorities resorted to imposing internet shutdowns and road blockades to suppress demonstrators marching toward Muzaffarabad, the administrative hub, which only intensified the sense of a region under perpetual siege rather than one being nurtured for growth. This isolation not only hampers immediate economic opportunities but also perpetuates a cycle of poverty and dependency on external aid, underscoring the profound governance gaps in the area.
Education and Social Freedoms: Empowerment vs. Exodus
Literacy rates in Indian Kashmir have climbed to around 77%, a testament to the region’s robust educational framework that includes a well-established network of universities, colleges, and technical institutes. Prestigious establishments like the University of Kashmir and the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar serve as pillars of higher learning, offering diverse programs in sciences, engineering, humanities, and more, attracting students from across India. The post-2019 era has seen uninterrupted schooling, free from the militant-enforced shutdowns that once plagued the system, allowing for consistent academic progress and empowering the youth with skills for modern careers. Government initiatives, such as the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme specifically tailored for Kashmiri students, have integrated locals into national education systems, providing financial aid and opportunities for advanced studies. This has particularly benefited young women and girls, who are now clinching national accolades in fields like karate and leading teams in traditional sports such as kho-kho during inter-university tournaments, fostering a culture of gender equality and personal achievement. Social freedoms have flourished alongside, with the revival of Sufi traditions, open religious processions for Shi’ites, and the safe return of Hindu and Sikh communities, creating a vibrant, inclusive society where cultural and religious expressions thrive without fear.
Pakistani-administered Kashmir, on the other hand, lags far behind with literacy rates estimated at around 50%, hampered by a severely under-resourced educational system that struggles to provide even basic access to quality learning. The region boasts fewer institutions of higher education and technical training, leading to limited options for advanced studies and skill development, which in turn fuels widespread disillusionment among the youth. Underfunded schools suffer from chronic issues like teacher absenteeism, outdated curricula, and insufficient infrastructure, such as lacking classrooms or basic supplies, exacerbating educational inequalities. This has resulted in a significant brain drain, as ambitious students are compelled to seek opportunities outside the region, often migrating to mainland Pakistan or abroad, depleting the local talent pool and hindering long-term development. Socially, the area remains overshadowed by extremism and political instability, which stifles freedoms and cultural expressions, contrasting sharply with the progressive environment across the border. The lack of supportive programs for women and minorities further compounds these challenges, leaving many segments of society marginalized and without avenues for empowerment or social mobility.
Pakistani-Administered Kashmir Protests: A Cry Against Neglect
The October 2025 uprising, just last month, in Pakistani-administered Kashmir has marked a pivotal moment of resistance, spreading from the capital Muzaffarabad to districts like Mirpur, Neelum, and beyond, initially ignited by economic grievances but rapidly escalating into broader demands for autonomy, accountability, and systemic reform. What began as demonstrations against soaring electricity bills, inflated food prices, and the high cost of living has transformed into a mass movement challenging the very notion of “Azad Kashmir,” with protesters arguing that the region is neither independent nor self-governing but instead subjected to decades of exploitation by Islamabad and the Pakistani military.
The Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), at the forefront of the agitation, has presented a comprehensive 38-point charter that extends far beyond immediate relief, calling for slashed utility tariffs, subsidized wheat flour, free healthcare and education for all, and the abolition of reserved legislative seats for Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan—viewed as outdated colonial remnants that dilute local representation. JKJAAC leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir has been vocal in framing the struggle as a political awakening, accusing the government and army of systemic oppression and repression that has shackled the populace for generations.
Security forces’ response has been heavy-handed, with reports of Pakistani Rangers opening fire on peaceful crowds, leading to at least 12 civilian deaths and over 200 injuries, alongside the killing of three police personnel amid the chaos during a JKJAAC-called strike. Authorities have employed tactics like widespread internet blackouts, communication restrictions, and road closures to disrupt coordination among protesters and control the narrative, but these measures have only fueled further outrage. In acts of defiance, large march caravans have broken through blockades to converge on Muzaffarabad, while in Mirpur, the refusal to bury a slain protester until demands were addressed symbolized the deepening resolve.
This unrest underscores Islamabad’s failure to deliver on basic promises, eroding the myth of autonomy and highlighting chronic neglect in areas like healthcare, education, and fair political representation, potentially signaling a broader crisis of legitimacy for Pakistani control over the region.
Pakistan’s Terrorism: Desperation to Derail Indian Kashmir’s Rise
Indian-administered Kashmir’s ascent—marked by multiplexes reopening after 30 years of militant threats and women thriving in politics and sports—poses an existential embarrassment for Pakistan. As Indian Kashmir embodies peace and prosperity, Islamabad’s response has been to export terrorism, sponsoring groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba to sow chaos and halt progress. This desperation was starkly evident in the April 2025 Pahalgam attack, where Pakistan-backed militants from Lashkar e Taiba targeted innocent civilians in the picturesque tourist town, killing at least 25 people, and injuring dozens more in a brutal ambush near the Lidder River. The assault, traced directly to ISI handlers and terror camps across the Line of Control, was intended to exploit seasonal vulnerabilities and undermine Kashmir’s tourism revival, but instead, it provoked a swift and resolute Indian retaliation that escalated into the brief but intense “Four Days in May” war.
In the wake of the Pahalgam outrage, India launched precision airstrikes and ground incursions into Pakistani territory, targeting key terror infrastructure in a calibrated operation that avoided full-scale nuclear escalation. Indian forces—bolstered by advanced drone swarms, cyber warfare units, and special operations teams—systematically dismantled major terror outfits. Lashkar-e-Taiba’s headquarters in Muridke was reduced to rubble, Jaish-e-Mohammed’s training camps in Bahawalpur were obliterated through bunker-busting munitions, and Hizbul Mujahideen’s command nodes in Muzaffarabad were neutralized in coordinated raids. The conflict, lasting from May 15 to May 18, 2025, saw India employ overwhelming air superiority and electronic warfare to disrupt Pakistani communications, leading to the capture or elimination of high-value targets like JeM chief Masood Azhar’s deputies and LeT operatives. Pakistan asked the United States to negotiate a ceasefire, but not before Pakistan’s proxy terror networks were decimated, with estimates suggesting over 80% of their operational capacity destroyed, including safe houses, funding channels, and recruitment pipelines.
The war’s aftermath further isolated Pakistan diplomatically, with global condemnations amplifying calls for Islamabad to dismantle remaining terror remnants. India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty followed as a strategic counter, leveraging water diplomacy to pressure Pakistan amid its internal chaos.
Former militants, now disillusioned and in Indian custody or rehabilitation programs, have admitted to being brainwashed about fabricated Hindu oppressions, only to discover thriving mosques, religious freedoms, and inclusive development in Indian-administered Kashmir upon their surrender or defection.
This longstanding pattern—from the 1990s cinema bombings that targeted cultural normalcy to the 2019 Pulwama suicide attack that claimed over 40 lives, and now the Pahalgam outrage culminating in the 2025 war—aims to replicate Pakistani-administered Kashmir’s dysfunction across the border, undermining India’s integration efforts like Special Economic Zones and youth entrepreneurship programs. Yet, with militancy quelled, terror outfits shattered, and life normalized in Indian Kashmir, such tactics have backfired, only spotlighting Pakistani-administered Kashmir’s underdevelopment and pushing Islamabad toward reluctant reforms under international scrutiny.
A Path Forward?
India’s Prime Minister’s Development Package continues to channel billions into Indian Kashmir’s infrastructure and jobs, promising sustained integration and empowerment—especially for women.
For Pakistani-administered Kashmir, the protests signal a tipping point: Will Pakistan embrace accountability, or entrench repression and terror? As Indian Kashmir thrives, the divide grows, underscoring governance’s power to uplift—or abandon—a people.
