On July 30, Union minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai told the Lok Sabha that 14 civilians and 14 soldiers have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir this year. As they have every year since 2019, the numbers belie the government's claim that the abolition of Article 370 and Jammu and Kashmir’s special status has spelled an end to terrorism. In the five years that will mark that decision on August 5, the Union Territory's security challenges have undergone changes, but they remain grave.
