Farooq Ahmad Dar
The early days of October 2025 saw Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), or what Islamabad calls “Azad Kashmir,” erupt in one of its fiercest waves of unrest in decades. What began as a protest over soaring electricity tariffs and wheat prices soon spiralled into a full-scale agitation that paralysed life across Muzaffarabad, Dheerkot, Neelum Valley, and Kotli. At least a dozen people, including civilians and police personnel, were killed as security forces opened fire to disperse demonstrators. Curfews, internet blackouts, and mass arrests followed.
The unrest was no sudden outburst. It reflected years of neglect, poor governance, and economic frustration among PoK’s four million residents. Their demands — affordable food and power, better healthcare, education, and transparency — are basic, yet unmet. Islamabad has consistently failed to deliver even these essentials.
Across the Line of Control, however, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) presents a strikingly different picture in 2025. Once synonymous with instability, the Union Territory today witnesses record public investment, expanding infrastructure, and growing investor confidence. The contrast between the two halves of the erstwhile princely state has never been sharper.
Budgets that tell two stories
For the financial year 2025–26, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been allocated a budget of Rs 1.12 lakh crore — about 13 billion US dollars — among the highest per capita allocations in India. The budget prioritises employment, infrastructure, social welfare, and rural connectivity. With a population of around 1.4 crore, the per capita budget works out to roughly 950 dollars annually.
PoK’s budget in 2021-2022, by contrast, was 141 billion Pakistan rupees which is just over 78.55 million US dollars. A large share goes to administrative costs and salaries, leaving little for actual development. Pakistan’s federal Public Sector Development Programme allocates just Rs 48 billion for PoK. Inflation, a weakening rupee, and shrinking subsidies further erode the value of this meagre funding.
Even if PoK’s population is estimated at five million, the per capita allocation barely touches 200 dollars — less than a quarter of what New Delhi spends on each resident of Jammu and Kashmir.
Poverty, neglect and protest
This fiscal gap is visible in everyday life. Nearly half of PoK’s population lacks piped water, and over three-quarters have no household tap connection. Healthcare remains dire — one doctor serves nearly 5,000 people, compared to Pakistan’s national average of one per 1,127. Schools are underfunded, and qualified teachers scarce. With no real industry, most educated youth migrate to Pakistan’s big cities or the Gulf, taking up low-wage jobs.
The latest protests are rooted in this long history of deprivation. People now demand more than cheaper electricity — they seek structural reform, smaller cabinets, and control over local resources such as hydropower. Islamabad’s response, as always, has been force and empty assurances. The people of PoK are increasingly aware that slogans of “Azadi” mean little without accountability and governance
Jammu and Kashmir’s growth story
On the Indian side, the transformation since 2019 has been remarkable. The Rs 1.12 lakh crore budget has driven construction of roads, bridges, and power projects while expanding welfare schemes. The completion of the Chenab Rail Bridge — the world’s highest — and near completion of the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Railway Link are historic milestones bringing the Valley closer to the rest of India.
Investments have surged across tourism, education, and entrepreneurship. Nearly Rs 2,200 crore has been earmarked for agriculture and allied sectors, Rs 390 crore for tourism, and hundreds of crores for education and digital initiatives.
From despair to development
Governance reforms have been equally significant. Schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Kisan, and PM Awas Yojana now reach even remote villages. New hospitals, colleges, and rural roads are transforming both Jammu and Srinagar. Smart city projects and digital public services have improved transparency and efficiency.
Most crucially, there is a new sense that the system works. Infrastructure is visible, services are delivered, and corruption has declined. For ordinary Kashmiris long disillusioned with politics, this visible change has renewed faith in governance.
Two models, two mindsets
While Jammu and Kashmir moves towards economic self-reliance and participatory development, PoK continues to function as a colony — exploited for its resources yet denied benefits. Despite generating hydropower for Pakistan’s national grid, PoK receives only a fraction of the revenue. Its leaders remain powerless under Islamabad’s tight control.
The recent violence stems from this colonial setup. When citizens demand accountability, they face bullets. When they protest exploitation, their internet is shut down. The region remains politically suffocated — without genuine autonomy, free media, or functional institutions.
Reality over rhetoric
For decades, Pakistan’s state narrative painted Jammu and Kashmir as repressed and PoK as “free.” The events of 2025 have reversed that image. While PoK burns over bread, electricity, and jobs, Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing growth, infrastructure, and opportunity.
The contrast is no longer abstract — it’s visible in roads, schools, hospitals, and living standards. New Delhi’s sustained fiscal push and focus on inclusive growth have brought stability and progress. Islamabad, meanwhile, has allowed its side of Kashmir to sink deeper into resentment and poverty.
The verdict of development
The story of the two Kashmirs in 2025 is ultimately one of governance. One side chose democracy, decentralisation, and reform; the other remains mired in dependence and denial. The images from Muzaffarabad’s burning streets are a grim reminder that propaganda cannot replace performance.
If progress is measured by the well-being of ordinary people, there is little doubt which Kashmir has done better. Jammu and Kashmir today stands as a living example of what consistent policy, investment, and stability can achieve — and of how development, not rhetoric, defines the real future of the region.
(The author is a retired school teacher and can be reached at [email protected])
