Kashmir's Middle Is Breaking

The middle class that once held Kashmiri society together is fading.

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Families who once dreamed of owning a small shop, building a modest home, or giving their children a good education now find it hard to make ends meet.

Prices of essentials keep climbing while incomes remain stuck. Private sector wages are stagnant, and government jobs are scarce. Jammu and Kashmir's unemployment rate sits above 16%, nearly twice the national average. For young graduates, especially from modest families, the idea of a stable career feels distant. Many take up gig work or migrate outside the valley, leaving behind parents juggling debt and rising household costs.