Srinagar, Sep 06: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said terrorism-related figures in Jammu and Kashmir were “gradually shrinking towards zero”, asserting that the abrogation of Article 370 had substantially weakened separatist sentiment and put the Union Territory on the path of development.
Speaking to the media in Dona Paula, Goa, Shah said the government’s approach to Jammu and Kashmir after 2019 had not only focused on tackling terrorism but also on bridging what he described as the “mental distance” between J&K and the rest of the country.
“After the removal of Article 370 in J&K, the feeling of separatism has reduced a lot. The figures of terrorism appear to be gradually shrinking towards zero, and J&K has moved ahead on the path of development,” Shah said.
His remarks came as he highlighted the government’s record on internal security and its efforts to tackle terrorism, Left-Wing Extremism and insurgency in the Northeast.
The Home Minister cited figures showing a sharp decline in terrorism-related violence over the past decade. According to figures he has presented, Jammu and Kashmir recorded 7,217 terrorist incidents between 2004 and 2014, compared with 2,150 between 2015 and 2025 — a decline of around 70 per cent.
“Civilian deaths during the corresponding periods fell from 1,770 to 357, while security personnel deaths declined from 1,060 to 542,” he said
Shah also said that the number of terrorists neutralised increased substantially during the period.
The Centre has previously cited other indicators of the changing security situation. “Organised stone-pelting incidents, according to figures presented by Shah, declined from 2,654 in 2010 to zero in 2023. Infiltration attempts also fell from 489 in 2010 to 48 in 2023,” the Home Minister said.
The government has attributed the change to a combination of intelligence-led operations, security measures, action against terror financing and networks, and the political and constitutional changes introduced after August 2019.
However, the decline in violence has not meant the disappearance of the terrorist threat. Jammu and Kashmir has continued to witness militant activity and counter-terror operations, including the deadly Pahalgam attack in April 2025 that claimed 26 lives.
He said security forces have continued operations against militant networks this year as well, underlining that the challenge remains despite the substantial decline in the overall scale of violence.
Shah’s latest remarks therefore represent the Centre’s assessment of a long-term downward trend rather than a declaration that terrorism has completely disappeared from J&K.
For the Union government, the post-2019 period has also been marked by efforts to portray Jammu and Kashmir as moving towards greater political, economic and social integration with the rest of the country.
Shah said the government had worked to bridge the “mental distance” between J&K and the rest of India, while maintaining that the reduction in separatist sentiment and violence had created a more conducive environment for development.
The Home Minister also linked the J&K experience to the government’s broader internal-security strategy, pointing to progress against Left-Wing Extremism and insurgency in the Northeast.
For Jammu and Kashmir, however, the numbers present a more nuanced picture–terrorism-related violence has fallen dramatically from the levels witnessed during the peak years, but the continued presence of terrorist networks and periodic attacks means security agencies remain focused on achieving what the Centre calls a “zero-terror” environment.
Shah’s assertion that terrorism figures are “gradually shrinking towards zero” thus underlines both the government’s claim of a significant security turnaround in J&K and its stated objective of eliminating the remaining terror
