Kashmir has been divided between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan since their partition at the chaotic end of British rule in 1947, and both countries claim the territory in full.

Half a million Indian troops are deployed in the far northern region, battling a 35-year insurgency in which tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers and rebels have been killed, including at least 120 this year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government cancelled the Muslim-majority region’s partial autonomy in 2019, a decision accompanied by mass arrests and a months-long communications blackout. The territory of around 12 million people has since been ruled by a governor appointed by New Delhi – overseeing the local government that voters elected in October in opposition to Modi.

those who have long lived under the shadow of the grinding insurgency seemingly shrug off the threat. When an attacker this month hurled a grenade at security forces in a busy market – killing a woman and wounding 11 civilians – shoppers returned within a couple of hours.

“It will remain like this on low boil, as long as Kashmir is divided (between India and Pakistan),” a security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to journalists. “We control it here; they (Pakistan) will activate it from there.” The Indian army says around 720 rebels have been killed in the past five years.