MUMBAI
Bollywood actor Huma Qureshi’s visit to Srinagar to promote Baby Do Die Do turned into a celebration of her Kashmiri roots, with the actor describing the Valley as her maternal home and saying every visit feels like returning to family. Thanking audiences for the warm response to her film, she said the affection she receives in Kashmir is deeply personal because her mother is Kashmiri. Accompanied by her brother Saqib Saleem and the film’s cast, Qureshi also promised to shoot a full-fledged film in Kashmir, recalling her positive experience filming Maharani in the Valley.
Kashmir’s shawl exports nearly doubled to Rs 588.23 crore in 2025-26 from Rs 305.52 crore a year earlier, surpassing the Rs 477.24 crore recorded in 2023-24 and accounting for over 70 per cent of the region’s total handicraft exports.
CHENAB VALLEY
Successive flash floods and landslides in a span of 48 hours have battered the Chenab Valley, underlining the growing vulnerability of the mountainous region to extreme weather events. Three rain-triggered incidents in Doda and Kishtwar damaged homes, shops, roads and vehicles, disrupted traffic on the strategic Doda-Kishtwar highway, and inundated parts of the under-construction 540 MW Kwar Hydroelectric Project. Although no casualties were reported, floodwaters carrying mud, rocks and boulders buried construction machinery and blocked key road links, prompting large-scale restoration efforts.
Jammu and Kashmir’s five Lok Sabha MPs have allocated Rs 47.02 crore (64 per cent) of their combined Rs 73.5 crore MPLADS funds but have completed only 249 of the 914 recommended works, worth just Rs 5.6 crore.
RAMBAN
A Class 7 student in Ramban spent hours locked inside his school after apparently falling asleep in a classroom and being inadvertently left behind when staff closed the premises. The child remained trapped until around 8 pm, when a passer-by heard his cries for help and rescued him. The incident, captured on video, has triggered outrage and raised serious concerns over student safety and supervision in government schools. Terming it a case of prima facie gross negligence, the Education Department suspended the entire staff of Government Middle School, Karwah, and constituted a three-member inquiry committee to investigate the lapse and fix responsibility.
Jammu and Kashmir lawmakers can now allocate up to Rs 20 lakh annually from their Constituency Development Fund to provide medical assistance for economically weaker patients suffering from life-threatening diseases.
TRIPURA
A court in Tripura has sentenced a truck driver from Baramulla to 12 years of rigorous imprisonment after convicting him in a narcotics trafficking case involving the seizure of 260 kg of cannabis in 2022. The Additional Sessions Judge at Dharmanagar found Manjoor Ahamed Chachi guilty under the NDPS Act and imposed a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh, with an additional six months’ imprisonment in case of default. The contraband was recovered from his truck during a vehicle check at the Churaibari interstate checkpoint, bringing the four-year-old case to a close.
Terror-related violence in Kashmir has declined sharply, with militant killings falling from a peak of 266 in 2018 to 10 this year, while security force and civilian deaths have dropped from 94 and 88, respectively, in 2018 to one each this year.
SARBAL
Police have, perhaps for the first time, arrested three alleged Over Ground Workers (OGWs) with the help of a Facial Recognition System (FRS) deployed along the Amarnath Yatra route in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. According to police, the AI-enabled surveillance system generated alerts as the suspects passed through the Sarbal area, enabling personnel to intercept and verify their identities. The three were subsequently arrested for legal proceedings.
The Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways has approved the construction of the Leh Bypass (Southern Alignment) in Ladakh at an estimated cost of Rs 990.51 crore.
KASHMIR
Kashmir’s cherry growers ended this year’s harvest with improved earnings despite an estimated 35-40 per cent decline in production caused by erratic weather. Reduced supplies and strong demand pushed prices to multi-year highs, with premium varieties selling for Rs 250-400 per kg, while traditional varieties fetched Rs 170-200 per kg, nearly double last year’s rates. Shopian, one of the Valley’s main cherry-producing districts, harvested around 500-600 metric tonnes. Growers said higher prices largely offset production losses, underlining the growing importance of premium varieties.
The Horticulture Department has launched a pilot high-density almond plantation project on 100 kanals in Pulwama to revive Kashmir’s declining almond industry and improve farmers’ returns.
RAJOURI
An elderly man was killed in a bear attack in the upper reaches of Darhal in Rajouri, highlighting the continuing risk of human-wildlife encounters in remote grazing areas. Mohammad Amin, 68, was attacked while in Dhok Jangwala, Panj Katha, where the animal reportedly emerged from bushes and mauled him. Family members said he sustained critical injuries. Although he was taken towards the nearest hospital, the long distance from the high-altitude area delayed medical assistance, and doctors declared him ‘brought dead’.
SRINAGAR
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called for a shift from volume-driven tourism to a value-based model, arguing that Jammu and Kashmir’s tourism strategy must prioritise ecological sustainability over visitor numbers. Addressing a conclave on sustainable tourism at SKICC, Srinagar, he said the region’s rivers, lakes, mountains and glaciers are its greatest assets and warned that unchecked tourism could irreversibly damage them. He advocated destination-specific planning based on ecological carrying capacity, noting that fragile areas such as Gulmarg and Gurez cannot be managed like Srinagar. Abdullah said the focus should be on generating greater economic value from fewer visitors rather than chasing footfall. Referring to the surge in tourist arrivals in recent years and the subsequent decline after the 2025 Pahalgam massacre, he described the sector as inherently fragile. He also called for scientific waste management, elimination of single-use plastic, improved infrastructure and greater community participation in tourism planning to ensure long-term sustainability.
PAHALGAM
A viral video showing people bathing, washing clothes and using soap and shampoo in the Lidder river has triggered widespread concern over pollution of the ecologically sensitive waterbody. The video, posted by an Amarnath pilgrim, appealed to the Shrine Board to deploy personnel along the river and prohibit such activities. The footage drew sharp criticism on social media, with users calling the practice environmentally damaging and urging authorities to act. Commentators said detergents, shampoos and plastic waste threaten the river’s fragile aquatic ecosystem, stressing that preserving the Lidder is essential for protecting Kashmir’s natural heritage.
JAMMU KASHMIR
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has tightened scrutiny of educational institutions following the recovery of books allegedly containing separatist and anti-national content in school libraries. Chairing a high-level review, LG Manoj Sinha directed a comprehensive audit of books, journals and other publications in schools, colleges, universities and public libraries, while ordering the removal of objectionable material from digital repositories. He also called for a Standard Operating Procedure governing the procurement of academic material, including a robust screening mechanism and periodic reviews by education experts. Warning of strict accountability, Sinha said heads of institutions would be held personally responsible for any lapse. The move follows the suspension of eight Education Department officials, blacklisting of two authors and publishers, withdrawal of the controversial books, and registration of an FIR as the administration intensifies its response to the controversy
BARAMULLA
Safina Baig, former Baramulla District Development Council chairperson and wife of Padma Shri awardee, PDP co-founder and former deputy chief minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig, formally joined the ruling National Conference, marking the latest turn in a long political journey that has traversed the PDP, the Peoples Conference and independent politics. Welcomed by NC president Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at the party headquarters in Srinagar, she arrived with a large contingent of supporters, giving the event the feel of a political homecoming. Declaring that the NC best represents the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Safina endorsed the party’s campaign for restoration of statehood and praised Omar Abdullah’s leadership during a challenging period. Her induction is expected to bolster the NC’s position in north Kashmir, particularly in Baramulla and Wagoora-Kreeri, where the influential Baig family’s political network continues to command significant support. Baig’s nephew, Javed earlier moved out from PDP and joined NC and is now representing Baramulla in assembly.
JAMMU
BJP national president Nitin Nabin used his maiden visit to Jammu and Kashmir to reinforce the party’s political and organisational agenda before cutting the tour short and returning to New Delhi for an urgent party engagement. Addressing party workers, legislators and office-bearers, he asserted that the BJP would continue expanding its presence in the Union Territory and expressed confidence that the party would eventually form the government in Jammu and Kashmir. Reiterating the BJP’s stand on Article 370, he claimed its abrogation had transformed the region by bringing peace, development and constitutional equality, while ruling out any possibility of its restoration. Nabin also accused the Omar Abdullah government of discriminating against Jammu and urged party leaders to strengthen grassroots outreach, improve coordination with the cadre and aggressively publicise the Centre’s welfare schemes. He maintained that the BJP would function as a vigilant opposition by raising public issues while simultaneously advancing its organisational expansion across both the Jammu and Kashmir regions.
LADAKH
Ladakh has unveiled an ambitious plan to revive and expand Pashmina production. The Ladakh administration has approved a 25 per cent incentive for Changpa herders and an Rs 8 crore revolving fund to ensure timely procurement and payments, while targeting a doubling of the Pashmina goat population from two lakh to four lakh over the next three years. It also aims to raise raw wool yield from 200 grams to 350 grams per goat through scientific breeding and improved husbandry. The initiative comes as Kashmir’s Pashmina sector has faced periodic disruptions in the supply of raw fibre, affecting artisans and manufacturers.
SRINAGAR
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal urging Amarnath pilgrims to spend at least 10 per cent of their pilgrimage budget on locally made products, but said this would only be possible if yatris were allowed to move freely in Kashmir. He criticised restrictions that keep pilgrims confined to their vehicles, saying they cannot support local businesses without access to markets. Omar said the elected government had completed all arrangements for the smooth conduct of the pilgrimage and expressed hope that devotees would have a safe and hassle-free darshan.
