Seven Years After Article 370 Abrogation, Violence in J&K Drops 83%: Official Data

Srinagar: As Jammu and Kashmir marks the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 on Wednesday, the official data indicates that terror-related violence has drastically gone down in the state and the situation has remained under control.

What does the official data say?

The figures show a considerable improvement in the overall security situation in the last few years. The number of terror attacks, stone throwing, infiltration attempts and civilian and security force deaths have all consistently decreased and consequently are at their lowest levels in the area in more than 20 years, according to officials.

Official data has revealed that terror incidents have reduced by almost 83 per cent since 2020, while stone-pelting has declined by 99 per cent and deaths have hit their lowest since more than 20 years in 2025.

The number of terror incidents, local recruitment and civilian casualties have seen “a sustained decline” in the overall security environment since the pre-2019 period, but the threat has not waned and an attempt is now being made to orchestrate spectacular terror strikes against Pakistan, a senior security establishment official told Greater Kashmir.

What does the figure say?

The number of terror incidents fell from 151 in 2022 to 35 in 2025, a decrease of almost 77 per cent.

Casualties from terrorist operations dropped from 193 to 46, and security force casualties fell from 30 to 17.

The number of civilians killed fluctuated, but remained below the levels of previous years.

How was the year 2025?

Data gathered from official and independent tracking firms indicated that 2025 was the least violent year in the history of J&K's terror and conflict in more than 20 years, in which a total of 92 fatalities were reported (28 civilians, 17 security personnel and 46 terrorists).

Most of the civilian casualties (26) were reported during a single attack in the Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam on April 22, 2025, which targeted tourists.

The attack is the worst reported civilian assault in the region in recent years.

This year even after incorporating the death of Pahalgam, it was still a significant drop when compared to the previous year of 127 deaths followed by 134 in 2023, 253 in 2022 and higher in the immediate post-2019 years.

What about local recruitment into terror?

In recent years, local recruitment into acts of terror has also dwindled to single digits or zero, and has been forced to depend on foreign infiltrators and small modules.

Official data shows only 12 terror attacks in 2026 (early August). These have resulted in two civilian deaths, two unidentified deaths, two security personnel casualties and 11 terrorists killed. In January, February and July there were 3 incidents each, in March there were 2, in May there was 1 and no incidents in April, June and in the first days of August.

Where did the most attacks happen?

The attacks have been more in the past in the hilly areas of the Jammu division than in the traditional Valley strongholds: Rajouri, Poonch, Reasi, Kathua, Doda, Kishtwar and Udhampur.

The current threat is said to be “small groups” armed with ambushes or targeted killings on soft targets (migrant workers, isolated civilians), to create a psychological effect before disappearing into the hard-to-reach areas in the country. 

“Overall, violence has no doubt declined over the past few years, but it is also a fact that terrorism has undergone a strategic shift. Instead of sustaining prolonged insurgency in the Valley, terror groups have increasingly moved towards the forested areas of Jammu’s PirPanjal belt and Chenab Valley,” a senior officer said

It is not a matter of the number of attacks, but their nature, he said, and the frequency has decreased, though the attacks are now meant to have maximum psychological impact.

What about other terror activity?

The number of people who throw stones has dropped by almost 99 per cent, a practice that used to be a daily occurrence and support a protest ecosystem.

There have also been large scale shutdowns and organised street violence which have gone, blamed on intelligence-led policing, preventive detentions and the dismemberment of overground support networks.

Security forces are keeping the operations at full swing since cordon and search and long range operations are being carried out, especially in the Jammu rear areas.

However, infiltration attempts along the LOC continue to be a concern though the successful crossings have been mitigated by enhanced surveillance, fencing and coordination. In 2026, security forces have enjoyed a more significant kill ratio than in the previous several years.