Jammu and Kashmir welcomed 2.36 crore visitors in 2024 and a cumulative 7.85 crore between 2023 and 2025, while Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) offers no comparable data — because, according to an Athens-based policy report, Islamabad has ensured none can be collected. The divergence in trajectories between the two sides of the Line of Control has drawn growing international attention, the report by Directus noted.

International Recognition of J&K's Stability

A significant marker of shifting global perceptions came on 19 August, when United States Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, made his maiden visit to Jammu and Kashmir. Gor indicated that the US would reconsider its travel advisories to the Union Territory and described Jammu and Kashmir as 'an important part of India' — a characterisation that carries diplomatic weight given decades of contested international framing.

The Directus report observed: 'Foreign governments spent three decades wrongly auditing India's defensive actions in Jammu and Kashmir and are now finally realising that the problem lies with the Pakistani occupation in PoJK. The course correction has come late, but it has finally begun.'

This comes amid a broader pattern of multilateral engagement. Srinagar hosted the third G20 Tourism Working Group meeting in May 2023 — the first major multilateral event in the Valley since 2019 — drawing around 60 delegates from member and invitee states.

Security Situation: Declining Incidents, Persistent Threats

Terrorist-initiated incidents in the Indian Union Territory declined sharply, from 228 in 2018 to 12 in 2025. By the first week of August 2026, 12 incidents had been recorded, resulting in two civilian deaths and two security-force casualties, all attributed to Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism, according to the report.

Yet the trend does not signal an end to the threat. The April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, carried out by a Pakistan-backed group, killed 26 people and underscored the continuing danger. Violence has also reportedly shifted toward the Pir Panjal and Chenab belts of Jammu division, where difficult terrain facilitates small-scale ambushes by Pakistan-based groups.

PoJK: Communications Blackout and Reported Civilian Deaths

The contrast with PoJK is stark. During the same week as Ambassador Gor's visit, residents of PoJK were reportedly under a communications blockade in place since 5 June. Reports cited scores of civilians killed by Pakistani security forces, a ban on the Joint Action Awami Committee (JAAC), and what the report described as 'sham' legislative assembly elections conducted under heavy paramilitary deployment. None of these developments produced verifiable official data, the report noted.

Economic and Cultural Development in J&K

On the development front, under the New Central Sector Scheme, 918 industrial units have registered proposals worth ₹12,665 crore, alongside three foreign investment proposals worth ₹500 crore. The International Film Festival of Jammu and Kashmir is also scheduled for September.

Tourism, however, took a hit after the Pahalgam attack: arrivals fell from 2.36 crore in 2024 to 1.78 crore in 2025, though the longer-term comparison remains favourable — 7.85 crore visitors between 2023 and 2025 against 4.76 crore between 2016 and 2018.

As international engagement deepens and development indicators improve, the question of whether J&K's security gains can be sustained — and whether global scrutiny will extend equally to conditions in PoJK — will define the region's trajectory in the months ahead.