Every seat was taken on the commercial flight to Kashmir’s summer capital Srinagar.

Families with little children ready for a summer holiday, a group of young men preparing for a road trip through the mountains, and old ladies with packed lunches for when they land.

A spectacular vista of snow-capped Himalayan mountains appeared as the plane descended into Srinagar.

Then, as the airport drew closer, camouflage corrugated iron bunkers and defence aircraft started to appear, displaying the reality of this region – it’s one of the most militarised places on earth.

The Indian government is being criticised for hosting a G20 event in Kashmir, a disputed Himalayan territory, to promote tourism in the picturesque region and showcase a sense of normalcy.

An armed insurgency has been waged against Indian rule in Kashmir for decades, which successive Indian governments blame on Pakistan, something Islamabad denies. India’s neighbour also lays claim to the territory.

Foreign journalists are rarely allowed entry into Kashmir, but the Indian government invited the ABC to visit the capital as part of the G20 event.

Many in the region are trying to move on from historical tensions and calling for more tourists, while several Kashmiris say they still feel “crushed and silenced” by Indian rule.

The complicated history of Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir, which is the only Muslim majority region administered by India, was divided in 1949 after independence from British colonisation and split between India and Pakistan.

The Maharajah (local ruler) at the time, Hari Singh, wanted Kashmir to be an independent kingdom.

Pakistani tribesman invaded Kashmir after hearing reports of attacks on Muslims, so the Maharajah joined India in return for help to fight them.

Five years later, Indian-administered Kashmir was given a special autonomous status enshrined in the country’s constitution, giving its local government the power to make its own laws.

India and Pakistan later fought two wars over the region as well as several conflicts.

By 1989, Islamist militants started an insurgency to fight Indian rule in Kashmir.

There have been mass separatist protests and tens of thousands of deaths in the decades since.

In 2019, the Modi government stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its autonomy, shifting full control of the region to Delhi and allowing Indians outside the territory to settle in the area.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised the move, which was an election commitment fulfilled after his landslide victory, would bring peace to Kashmir.

But Pakistan’s government denounced India for taking “illegal steps” in its decision to revoke special status for Kashmirs and has argued it violates international law.

Both countries claim the region in its entirety, with the areas under separate administration, divided by a so-called Line of Control.

Rebranding one of the world’s most militarised places

This month’s G20 meeting is being used by the government to signal to the world that India has reached its goal of peace in Kashmir and everything is back to normal on the ground.

“It’s never been a conflict zone, we are very clear to be a part of India like any other state or Union Territory of India,” India’s Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh said.

Indian authorities have gone to great lengths to keep up an image of normalcy in Srinagar for the G20 delegates, who come from the 20 largest economies in the world, including Australia.

Security officers hid behind banners emblazoned with G20 signs, while others trapped street dogs in nets before the delegates visited key tourist destinations.

Schools were shut down because of terror threats in the lead up to the event and freshly painted walls were put up in front of security bunkers.

But the immense military presence was still visible, with officers standing on footpaths every few metres with several checkpoints across the city.

When asked by a journalist about the high levels of security, Dr Singh dismissed the question.

“Whenever there’s a meeting of this scale with 20 high level delegations from 20 different countries, you always have a scaled-up security, so please take it very supportively my friends,” he told the media.

The Indian government says things are turning around in Kashmir, signalled by the millions of domestic tourists now visiting the region to ski and take boat rides on picturesque lakes, surrounded by mountains.

The rebrand has found some success with domestic tourists, who praised the region’s security measures.

“We know there are terrorists, but we haven’t felt that … international tourists should visit once before they die and enjoy the beauty of Kashmir.”

But convincing foreign visitors remains a challenge, as countries like Australia, Canada, and the US advise their citizens to avoid all travel to the area because of terror attacks and violent civil unrest.

“I think the advice is not carried or not followed very seriously, they are in contradiction with the realities of the ground… people from Australia keep visiting here in spite of the advisory because there’s a contradiction between what is perceived or what is actually there,” Dr Singh told the ABC.

“All of us can together clear those perceptions which have been sought to be created either by some vested interest or by self-righteous cynics or critics.”

Protests and boycotts ahead of G20 meeting

The Indian government says militancy has gone down since it took over Kashmir in 2019, when it stationed tens of thousands of soldiers in the region to deal with the rebellion.

But in the lead up to the G20, there’s been an increase in attacks in Jammu, across the mountains from Srinagar.

Earlier this month, five Indian soldiers were killed by separatist rebels during a military operation near the Line of Control.

Authorities said they had intelligence suggesting militants might target a school and take students hostage, so they shut them down until after the G20 meeting.

Hundreds protested the event in neighbouring Pakistan, and China boycotted the meeting criticising India for holding it in a disputed territory.

The G20 event has led to scrutiny over the Indian government’s policies in Kashmir, including what human rights activists say is the stifling of free speech in the area.

Many journalists and activists have been imprisoned since the Indian government took over its portion of Kashmir, while others say they are consistently harassed by authorities or can no longer apply for a passport as a repercussion for critical reporting.

When asked about the treatment of the press at a G20 media conference, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, denied there was a problem.

“According to a report by an international organisation, a total seven journalists were detained in India on terror charges and attempts to disruption of social harmony, not for journalism or writing stories,” he said.

“Freedom of speech and expression is guaranteed in… the Indian constitution, article 19.2 puts reasonable restriction because no-one can be allowed to hurt the sovereignty of India and the security of the state.”

Many Kashmiris in Srinagar told the ABC they feared speaking out against Indian authorities and did not want to be identified.

As one businessman was describing the situation, he said he feared a man who veered over to listen into the conversation was an undercover officer.

“They have crushed us, we can’t do anything,” he said.

“That man is undercover security, if I say the wrong thing, he will come here tomorrow and arrest me, and I have to think about my family.”

Dr Sheikh Showkat Hussain has been a prominent Kashmiri human rights scholar at a number of universities but last year, he was sacked as the head of the Central University of Kashmir’s Legal faculty.

He said it was because he’s been critical of the Indian government and that the G20’s attempts to show normalcy in Kashmir, don’t reflect the situation on the ground.

In 2010, Dr Hussain along with prominent figures like author Arundhati Roy were charged with sedition, or inciting rebellion against authority, for calling for self-determination for Kashmiri people.

“Kashmiris are a small ethnic group as compared to people in the subcontinent and they feel that they can be overrun by the outsiders, so that’s scary,” he said.

“I’m giving an interview to you, now my family will tell me, you’ll invoke problems… nowadays they raid your house.

“I take risks… being a law man, I feel I’m not infringing the law, those who keep on harassing us they have been doing it, but I feel because my conscience says that I have taught human rights for almost 30 years … I should not surrender my right to expression, come what may.”

‘We want tourists to visit’

For other Kashmiris, there’s just a central goal to make money for their families and keep going with their livelihoods.

Mehrajuddin has been taking tourists on his boat at Srinagar’s iconic Dal Lake, and he, like other tour operators, were excited by the prospect of more visitors.

“We want tourists to visit here in large numbers so that our lives can grow,” he said.

“The government should work to end [the] unemployment problem, a young, educated person should get a job and opportunities to succeed in life.”

Even on the serene boat ride, the reality of Kashmir’s situation crept in.

Marine commandos got into boats to search the lake, while officers holding guns stood outside shops and occasional distant sirens would blare from military vehicles.

“I think there has to be a sense of achievement given to the local population, and a sense of security,” Dr Hussain said.

“Kashmir, they say it’s an integral part [of India], so why is there a different standard over here? That is it.”