On this International Day of Peace, September 21, 2025, Kashmir reflects on a hard-won calm. India’s 2019 decision to revoke Article 370 and strengthen security has reshaped the Valley. Encounters dropped from 614 in 2018 to fewer than 200 by 2024, according to security reports. This shift has saved countless lives, sparing families the grief of violence that claimed more than 40,000 since 1989.
Kashmir’s relief resonates beyond its borders. In Syria, a 2024 ceasefire cut civilian deaths by 30 percent, according to the UN. Schools reopened, echoing Srinagar’s classrooms filled with children instead of fear. Colombia’s 2016 peace accords ended decades of FARC violence, letting youth reclaim playgrounds, a picture familiar to Anantnag today. These parallels prove that peace is never abstract. It shields families from loss.
India’s Northeast tells a similar story. Insurgency deaths have dropped by 80 percent since 2014, as per the Ministry of Home Affairs. Families in Manipur now see bustling markets, just like Kashmir’s bazaars that welcomed 1.5 crore tourists in 2024. Critics argue that Kashmir’s calm is enforced through heavy security, but the results are visible. Safer streets, fewer orphans, and thriving businesses mark a change impossible to ignore.
The world has seen how fragile peace can be. Rwanda rebuilt after genocide, Ukraine struggles for stability, and Syria still searches for lasting calm. Kashmir knows the cost of conflict and the value of quiet. Security may feel heavy, but it gives our children dreams of futures instead of funerals. We value this peace above all, and we want it to remain here forever.
