Kashmiri outrage: ‘Militarized Rails, Crippled Economy’
Local Kashmiri resources, industries are being crippled, railway line used for Indian military use.
January 28, 2026
by Raies Mir
Despite claims of improved connectivity, no substantial consignments of Kashmiris local resources including apples and handicrafts logistics have been transported out of Kashmir via rail services.
In September 2025, apples were not even transported via the Mughal Road (Shopian–Poonch) when the Srinagar–Jammu highway remained closed for nearly two weeks. Large quantities of apples rotted in stationary trucks along the highway. This occurred while BJP governments Adani-linked entities reportedly maintain major apple production farms in Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, and a significant share of apple exports were routed to Bangladesh.
In the second week of August 2025, the first freight train reached the Islamabad area of south Kashmir goods shed in Kashmir valley from Indian city Rupnagar, Punjab. The train was carrying cement under the Indian investor Adani brand, manufactured by the Adani Group, a close associate of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This freight service was propagated and projected as a step to accelerate infrastructure development and improve living standards in occupied Kashmir, is being portrayed not merely as a logistical milestone but as a symbol of so-called progress and farcical integration.
Even during the peak apple harvesting season, when the Srinagar–Jammu highway remained blocked for weeks due to incessant rainfall, apples were left to rot in stranded trucks instead of being transported via the freight train. This has raised serious concerns about the intent and direction of this connectivity project in IIOJK.
Increasingly, the freight train is being viewed as another attempt to choke local businesses in Kashmir valley. Cement is one of the few industries where local Kashmiris’ brands such as Khyber and TCI have historically prevented outside brands—like Ambuja, L&T, ACC, and others—from gaining significant market share.
Traditionally, cement prices in occupied Kashmir have soared around INR 530 per 10 kg bag for both local and outside brands.
With the arrival of cement by rail, however, the prices of outside brands have dropped by nearly INR 50 per 10 kg bag. Market analysis suggests that a 10 kg bag of Indian company of Adani cement reaches the Islamabad south Kashmir Goods Shed at approximately INR 210. After adding distributor margins and other logistics costs, the expected retail price is around INR 350—significantly cheaper than local cement brands.
Local cement manufacturers source raw materials from Mining and Geological Department–approved sites. Over the past few years, mining activities—such as mountain blasting for limestone and river dredging for sand—have been tightly controlled. As a result, the prices of essential construction materials like stone and sand have doubled since 2019. If mining is further restricted or selectively regulated to benefit outside companies, local cement factories are likely to shut down. Similar impacts are expected across other sectors.
Despite claims of improved connectivity, no substantial consignments of apples have been transported out of Kashmir valley via so called railway system.
Apple cultivation, cement manufacturing, handicrafts and other local resources are among the largest employers in occupied Kashmir and form the backbone of the local supply chain. Occupied Kashmir is largely a consumption region with minimal industrial production. Even staple food items such as rice, meat, and tea are imported from outside the region. With each passing day, Kashmiris are deliberately being and becoming increasingly dependent on external supplies by Indian BJP government and its LG regime.
Agricultural belts once used for rice cultivation are being taken over in the name of highways and railway connectivity. Apple orchards are also being acquired or disrupted. At the same time, official policy is promoting GM crops, including apple varieties. Italian apple varieties are overtaking traditional ones, a trend mirrored in the Kashmiri shawls, where Indian Amritsari shawls are increasingly replacing authentic Kashmiri local brand shawls.
While these developments may benefit certain interests in the short term, in the long run they threaten to suffocate the local Kashmiri economy and making them dependent which destroying their economy and independence of earnings. This disputed region risks being reduced to a perpetual dependency for even basic food and essential goods.
The Indian Army successfully used the rail network, specifically the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, to transport heavy military equipment, including tanks, artillery guns, and bulldozers, from the Indian states and Jammu region to Kashmir valley on December 16, 2025.
The railway line is mostly being used for the rapid movement of armored vehicles and equipment into the Kashmir Valley, strengthening Indian army operational readiness. Infrastructure Used: The USBRL project, which is fully operational as of June 2025, includes challenging terrain with numerous tunnels (including the 12.7 km T-50) and bridges (like the Chenab Bridge). The line enables all-weather, high-speed, and secure transportation of essential Indian military supplies and combat machinery, reducing dependency on road transport Jammu -Srinagar highway during winters.
This development acts as a significant strategic signal for rapid force deployment and logistical strengthening in the region.
Meanwhile, heavy subsidies extended by the Government of India to outside investors, an external Indian bureaucracy, Indian forces, and an all-powerful BJPs Lieutenant Governor create a mix that appears designed to marginalize Kashmiris economically and socially—aligning with the long-standing ideological ambitions of the Hindutva RSS and its affiliates. source KMS