India completed seven years since the abrogation of Article 370 on this day, the constitutional provision that once gave Jammu and Kashmir special status. On August 5, 2019, Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill in Parliament and moved a resolution to revoke the region’s autonomy, splitting the erstwhile state into two Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Seven years on, the anniversary matters because it marks a moment when the government points to falling violence and rising tourism, while political parties in the Union Territory continue to press for statehood.
Quick Facts
| What happened | Article 370, which gave J&K special constitutional status, was abrogated |
| When | August 5, 2019 |
| Who did it | Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on behalf of the Modi government |
| Where | Parliament of India, affecting Jammu and Kashmir |
| Why it matters today | Seven years on, India is weighing security gains against pending statehood demands |
| Current status | J&K remains a Union Territory; statehood has not been restored |
Why did India abrogate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir?
Article 370 was a temporary provision in the Indian Constitution. It allowed Jammu and Kashmir to have its own constitution and limited the Parliament’s power to legislate for the region, except in defence, foreign affairs and communication. The government scrapped it, along with Article 35A, saying the provision had held back development and kept outsiders from investing in the region.
In 2019, Union Home Minister Amit Shah tabled a resolution in the Rajya Sabha to scrap Article 370 and accused three political families of using the provision to control Jammu and Kashmir for decades. The government maintained that the Instrument of Accession signed by Maharaja Hari Singh in October 1947 had already made Jammu and Kashmir part of India.
What has happened to terrorism & crime in J&K since 2019?
Security remains the most cited change in official assessments. Terror incidents have fallen by nearly 83 percent since 2020, and stone-pelting has dropped by 99 percent, according to official figures. In 2026, through early August, official data recorded just 12 terror incidents, resulting in two civilian deaths, two unidentified deaths, two security personnel casualties and 11 terrorists killed.
However, the picture is not uniform. The pattern of violence has shifted geographically, with recent attacks concentrated in the mountainous districts of the Jammu division, including Rajouri, Poonch, Reasi, Kathua, Doda, Kishtwar and Udhampur, rather than the traditional Valley strongholds.
The deadliest recent reminder of continuing risk came outside the anniversary period itself. On April 22, 2025, gunmen attacked tourists at Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam, killing 26 civilians, most of them visitors. This was described as the region’s worst civilian attack in over two decades and triggered mass tourist cancellations and the temporary closure of around 50 scenic spots.
Security remains heightened around every anniversary. Central Reserve Police Force personnel conducted checks along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, and Kulgam Police intensified vehicle checking and identity verification on NH-44 as part of the multi-layered security grid for the seventh anniversary.
How has tourism changed in J&K after Article 370?
Tourism has grown sharply in most years since 2019, though 2025 saw a setback tied to the Pahalgam attack.
- J&K received around 12.99 lakh tourists in 2016, rising to 23.8 lakh in 2017, and nearly 1.60 crore in 2018.
- Arrivals fell to nearly 25.2 lakh in 2020 due to the pandemic, then recovered to 1.13 crore in 2021, 1.85 crore in 2022 and over 2.07 crore in 2023.
- The sector reached its highest level ever in 2024, with nearly 2.35 crore tourists, the biggest tourism year in the region’s history.
- In 2025, domestic tourist visits fell by nearly 23 percent and foreign arrivals dropped by almost 45 percent compared to 2024, marking the first reversal since 2021, according to figures tabled in the Lok Sabha.
The Kashmir Valley bore the brunt of the decline. Tourist arrivals in Kashmir fell to 11.16 lakh in 2025, reversing years of steady growth after the Pahalgam attack. In the first six months of 2025, Kashmir received 7,53,856 tourists, a drop of nearly 52 percent compared to the same period in 2024.
Jammu, driven largely by pilgrimage tourism to Vaishno Devi, has stayed resilient. The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine at Katra recorded over 69.32 lakh visitors in 2025, while Shiv Khori saw over 10.56 lakh visitors.
Despite the dip, employment tied to tourism has held up. Tourism-related employment in Jammu and Kashmir is estimated to have increased from 10.42 lakh persons in 2021-22 to 10.78 lakh in 2025, based on Periodic Labour Force Survey estimates.
What has changed in jobs and industry in J&K ?
Government data shows a mixed employment picture. The unemployment rate was 6.7 percent in 2019-20, fell to 5.9 percent in 2020-21, 5.2 percent in 2021-22 and 4.4 percent in 2022-23, before rising again to 6.1 percent in 2023-24. By early 2026, the unemployment rate stood at 6.7 percent, double the national average of 3.5 percent, with the government acknowledging joblessness among educated youth.
On industry, official figures point to expansion:
- There are 5,294 industrial units functioning across 67 industrial estates on 4,667 acres, providing employment to 1.09 lakh people.
- The Centre’s Industrial Development Scheme, launched in January 2021 with an outlay of Rs 28,400 crore, has drawn investment proposals worth around Rs 65,000 crore, well beyond initial expectations.
- Jammu and Kashmir received investment proposals worth Rs 1.63 lakh crore by December 2024, with 1,984 units and an investment of Rs 9,606.46 crore having come into production since 2019, providing employment to 63,710 people.
- The startup ecosystem expanded from 69 startups in 2020 to 1,255 startups by December 2025, including 434 women-led ventures.
- MSMEs contribute about 60 percent of industrial investment, nearly 90 percent of employment and around 6 percent of the region’s GSDP.
The economic survey also flagged income growth. Per capita income was projected to rise to Rs 1,54,703, a 10.6 percent increase, reflecting improved economic well-being.
Land ownership rules also changed after 2019. New orders in October 2020 repealed 12 laws and amended 14 more, removing the phrase “permanent resident of the state” and allowing outsiders to purchase non-agricultural land in Jammu and Kashmir. However, uptake has been limited. Since the abrogation, 631 non-residents have purchased 48.25 acres of land across the Union Territory, worth over Rs 129 crore, with most buyers coming from the neighbouring Union Territory of Ladakh.
What is the government saying on the 7th anniversary?
The government’s position has stayed consistent: that scrapping Article 370 improved security and enabled development. Officials point to falling terror incidents, rising investment and record tourism years as proof of change on the ground.
Residents across J&K say they are witnessing improvements in infrastructure, public services and connectivity, including better roads, electricity and water supply. A Budgam resident told reporters that grassroots development has become more visible, recalling months-long waits for basic infrastructure like electricity transformers in the past.
What is the Opposition saying today?
Regional parties in Jammu and Kashmir observed August 5 differently this year. The National Conference announced it would mark the day as a “black day,” protesting what it called the unconstitutional and unilateral abrogation of the region’s constitutional guarantees, and registering opposition to the Centre’s continued delay in restoring statehood. The Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party also announced separate protest demonstrations outside their party offices in Jammu to mark the anniversary.
Statehood has become the dominant demand from J&K’s elected government, now headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah after the 2024 Assembly election. Following the Supreme Court’s December 2023 verdict, which upheld the abrogation but noted the Centre’s assurance that statehood would be restored in due course, the National Conference has repeatedly pressed the Centre on the issue. Abdullah led a “Delhi Chalo, We Want Our Statehood” protest in July 2026, asserting that the campaign was “just the beginning and not the end.” He argued that without statehood, Article 370 or any special provision holds little practical meaning, since a Union Territory has no independent powers and all Cabinet decisions require central clearance.
Article 370: What are people in J&K saying now?
Public opinion in the region remains varied, shaped by which part of J&K people live in and how they have experienced the last seven years. Many residents describe visible change in daily life. Locals in Budgam district cited better roads, more reliable electricity and improving government welfare delivery as tangible shifts since 2019. Business voices in Jammu have welcomed the security gains. A local Chamber of Commerce president credited the administration for the decline in terror incidents, pointing to trains reaching the Valley and ongoing development work, while also flagging concern over recent security incidents.
At the same time, families dependent on tourism in Kashmir faced real hardship after the 2025 Pahalgam attack. A hotel employee recalled the panic that followed the attack, saying tourists fled overnight and the local livelihood built around visitors nearly collapsed.
Political voices from the Valley continue to link the demand for statehood to ordinary governance concerns, including jobs, land and control over local resources, arguing that a Union Territory framework limits accountability to elected representatives.
Seven years after Article 370 was abrogated, India’s approach to Jammu and Kashmir shows a region transformed in some respects and unresolved in others. Government data highlights a sharp fall in terrorism, record investment proposals and historic tourism numbers in 2023 and 2024. Yet unemployment remains higher than the national average, the 2025 Pahalgam attack exposed continuing security gaps, and statehood, promised by the Centre before the Supreme Court, has still not been restored. As India observes this anniversary, the debate over Jammu and Kashmir’s future is no longer only about Article 370. It is increasingly about whether the region will get back full statehood and an elected government with complete powers.