One Kashmir builds, another boils: How the LoC is revealing two diverging development stories

On one side, tunnel boring machines are cutting through Himalayan rock, trains are crossing bridges once considered engineering impossibilities, highways are expanding, and tourism is reaching new destinations, while on the other, streets in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) have witnessed protests, shutdowns and clashes centred on political representation, governance and economic demands.

The difference does not lie simply in geography. It is increasingly reflected in the priorities shaping public life on the two sides of the LoC.

In Jammu and Kashmir, infrastructure development is creating new connections between remote areas and larger markets.

The Zojila Tunnel, the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link, the Chenab Rail Bridge, Vande Bharat services and expanding tourism infrastructure are becoming part of a wider economic network.

Across the LoC, political mobilisation has remained a defining feature of 2026, particularly around the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), representation in the regional assembly and the controversy over 12 seats reserved for refugees living outside the territory.

Zojila tunnel opens another route through the mountains

The Zojila Tunnel has become one of the clearest symbols of the infrastructure-led transformation taking place in Jammu and Kashmir.

In early June, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari witnessed the breakthrough of the project's main tunnel.

The 13.153-kilometre tunnel, together with 17.030 kilometres of approach roads, forms a 30.18-kilometre project estimated to cost ₹6,809.69 crore.

Zojila Tunnel, an under-construction 13.153-km-long road tunnel being built on NH 1 between Baltal in Kashmir and Minamarg in Ladakh. Photo: MyGov

The project aims to provide all-weather connectivity between Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh through one of the region's most challenging Himalayan corridors.

Zojila Pass has historically faced prolonged winter closures because of heavy snowfall.

Once the tunnel becomes fully operational, the route is expected to provide a more reliable connection between Sonamarg and Ladakh. Government information has indicated that travel between Sonamarg and Minamarg could fall from nearly two hours to around 30 minutes.

The project's importance therefore extends beyond travel time. A more dependable road corridor can improve access for tourism, trade and regional mobility while reducing the effects of seasonal isolation.

Railways are changing J&K's economic geography

The Zojila project forms part of a broader expansion of transport infrastructure.

The completion of the 272-kilometre Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link in 2025 connected the Kashmir Valley with India's wider railway network.

The project includes the Chenab Rail Bridge, described as the world's highest railway arch bridge, and the Anji Khad Bridge, India's first cable-stayed railway bridge.

Chenab Rail Bridge and Anji Rail Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir. Photo: PIB

The railway expansion continued in 2026. In April, Indian Railways extended the Jammu-Srinagar Vande Bharat service to Jammu Tawi and increased its capacity from eight to 20 coaches.

The Railway Ministry described the move as supporting tourism, freight transportation and the movement of essential commodities.

The service began regular operations on May 2.

According to the Railway Ministry, the trains carried 44,727 passengers during their first 10 days of regular operation.

The railway is also becoming relevant to the movement of agricultural produce.

Railway authorities have highlighted the transportation of Kashmir's apples to markets elsewhere in India, while cement, foodgrains, fertilisers, salt and milk are transported into the Valley.

For a mountainous region, railway connectivity changes more than passenger journeys. It creates another channel for freight, improves market access and gives businesses an additional means of moving goods.

Further railway expansion is also being planned.

Detailed project reports have been prepared for doubling the 118-kilometre Qazigund-Srinagar-Budgam section and for a 40-kilometre Baramulla-Uri line, while proposals have progressed for additional connections towards Rajouri, Poonch and other border areas.

Tourism gains from better connectivity

Tourism is emerging as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the infrastructure expansion.

Jammu and Kashmir's mountains, lakes, forests, pilgrimage centres and cultural attractions have long drawn visitors.

Improved road, rail and aviation connectivity is now making access easier and supporting the development of destinations beyond established tourist centres.

Government data show that Jammu and Kashmir recorded more than 2.3 crore tourist arrivals in 2024, described by the Union government as the highest number in its recorded history.

The Jammu region alone recorded more than 20 million domestic tourist visits during the year, alongside international visitors, according to figures cited by the Union Tourism Ministry.

Dal Lake in Srinagar is an iconic urban water body known as the "Jewel in the crown of Kashmir". Photo: Unsplash/Naweedey

Tourism infrastructure has expanded alongside these numbers.

Six projects under the Himalayan Circuit of the Swadesh Darshan scheme were sanctioned with an investment of about ₹519.58 crore, with the government stating that all six have been physically completed.

The revamped Swadesh Darshan 2.0 programme has placed greater emphasis on developing sustainable tourism destinations.

The economic effect of tourism extends across several sectors. Transport operators, restaurants, homestays, handicraft producers, guides, retailers and other small businesses all depend on visitor flows.

Economic indicators reflect a wider shift

The infrastructure push is accompanied by broader economic activity.

The Jammu and Kashmir Economic Survey 2025-26 estimates real GSDP growth at 5.82 percent during 2025-26 and nominal GSDP growth at 8.89 percent.

The size of the economy is estimated at approximately ₹2.86 lakh crore in nominal terms, while per capita income is estimated at ₹1,68,243.

The 2026-27 budget projects GSDP at ₹3.16 lakh crore at current prices, representing projected growth of 9.5 percent over the revised estimate for 2025-26.

Investment has also increased. Government data show that Jammu and Kashmir attracted approximately ₹18,000 crore between 2016-17 and 2025-26, compared with around ₹8,000 crore during the preceding seven decades.

The government has said 63 major development projects worth about ₹80,000 crore have been approved, with more than ₹51,000 crore invested and 53 projects completed.

Employment programmes form another part of the economic expansion.

More than 41,000 government jobs were created between 2019 and May 2026, according to government data, while more than 9.81 lakh people received self-employment opportunities through government-supported schemes over the preceding four years.

Innovation joins infrastructure and tourism

The development push is also moving into education, technology and entrepreneurship.

In May 2026, the Atal Innovation Mission, working with the Jammu and Kashmir administration and the University of Kashmir, opened applications for 500 new Atal Tinkering Labs across the Union Territory.

The initiative seeks to expand access to technology and innovation education in geographically difficult areas and strengthen connections between schools, universities, industry and innovation institutions.

This adds another dimension to the development process.

Roads, railways and tunnels provide physical connectivity, while education, technology and entrepreneurship are intended to build the skills and enterprise needed to use that connectivity.

Across LoC, political representation remains central

The contrast becomes more pronounced when developments in PoJK are viewed alongside the infrastructure expansion in Jammu and Kashmir.

PoJK has its own legislative assembly and government, but political representation remains a major source of debate.

The immediate dispute in 2026 centred on 12 assembly seats reserved for refugees from Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir who live elsewhere in Pakistan.

These seats form part of the 45 directly elected constituencies in the regional assembly.

Protesters associated with JAAC argued that the arrangement affected local political representation.

The dispute became one of the major triggers for the protests that intensified in 2026.

The regional government banned JAAC in June, following which demonstrations and confrontations escalated.

Reuters reported that the unrest led to shutdowns and disruptions affecting banking, roads and internet services, while further clashes occurred in July as regional elections approached.

The election was conducted in stages amid security concerns.

In the first phase, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz won nine of the 13 contested seats, while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf boycotted the election.

Political representation, governance and the relationship between the territory and Islamabad therefore remained central to public debate.

Widening development contrast along LoC

The difference between the two sides is increasingly visible through the nature of activity taking place on the ground.

In Jammu and Kashmir, connectivity has become a central element of economic development.

Railways are linking the Valley with the national network, tunnels are improving access through difficult terrain, road projects are expanding mobility, tourism infrastructure is growing, and innovation programmes are reaching schools.

The projects also reinforce one another — rail connectivity can support tourism and freight. Better roads can improve access to markets. Tunnels can make important routes more reliable. Rising tourist numbers can support local businesses, while investment and entrepreneurship programmes can create new employment opportunities.

Meanwhile, in PoJK, political mobilisation over representation and governance has remained a major feature of public life in 2026.

The result is an increasingly visible divergence in the development narratives emerging on either side of the LoC.

One is being marked by large-scale infrastructure, economic integration, tourism and enterprise, while the other continues to be heavily shaped by political protests, electoral disputes and questions of regional representation.

The physical geography has remained unchanged, but the economic and political activity around it is taking different forms.

The Line of Control is consequently becoming not only a territorial divide, but an increasingly visible line between two contrasting development trajectories.