Indian Home Minister to conclude Jammu and Kashmir working-trip

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah will conclude his three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) today.

The trip was his first to the J&K since the union territories were stripped of their special autonomous status in 2019, leading to two years of crippling unrest, heightened insecurity and economic collapse.

Shah’s visit looked to address the region’s persistent insurgencies and terrorist activities. Tellingly, the visit follows a surge in attacks which have led to over 30 deaths this month alone. Authorities have blamed the attacks and assassinations on The Resistance Front (TFR)—a Pakistan-based nationalist group.

In the short- to medium-term, expect India to continue the militarization of J&K, thereby putting residents between a violent military force and insurgent TRF. India will look to dampen secessionist sentiments in the region through their crackdowns and visible military presence, though this strategy has failed thus far.

In the long-term, the conflict in J&K evidences no sign of resolution. Their autonomy will continue to be eroded as India’s Hindu nationalist government looks to expand their influence over the largely Muslim territory. Given this, trends of civil rights backsliding and demographic changes edging out Muslims will also likely continue.