Centre on Friday approved and notified the names of twenty-three Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) officers for their induction in AGMUT cadre of Indian Administrative Service (IAS).

President, as per the notification of Department of Personnel and Training of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, has notified the select lists of State Civil Service officers of UT of J&K segment, in exercise of powers conferred by Rule 8(1) of the Indian Administrative Service (Recruitment) Rules, 1954, read with Regulation 9(1) of the Indian Administrative Service (Appointment by Promotion) Regulations, 1955.

The select lists of these JKAS officers were prepared on April 24, 2026 under Regulation 5(5) and were approved on August 3, 2026, under Regulation 7(2).

The names were cleared to fill up promotion quota vacancies in AGMUT cadre of IAS under State Civil Service category determined by the Government of India under Regulation 5(1) of the said Regulations in consultation with the state (UT) government for the select list of 2019 and select list of 2020.

Select list of 2019 (SCS), prepared against vacancies arising between January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019. Includes the names of Secretary, Information Department Munir-ul-Islam; Commissioner Secretary, Science and Technology Department Babila Rakwal; Commissioner Secretary, ARI and Trainings Department Shabnam Shah Kamili; Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Rachna Sharma; Mission Director, Skill Development Mission Leena Padha; Secretary, Forest, Ecology and Environment Rajinder Singh Tara; Managing Director J&K Medical Supplies Corporation Tariq Hussain Ganai; Mission Director, J&K ICDS Sajjad Hussain Ganai; Director General, J&K Rural Sanitation Anoo Malhotra; Secretary, Agriculture Production Department Nitu Gupta

Besides them, the select list of 2019 also includes the names of Anil Koul, Dr Ghulam Nabi Itoo, Kusum Badyal, Vivek Sharma, Mohammad Harun Malik, Nisar Ahmad Wani, Jatinder Singh and Shamim Ahmad.

As per the notification, the name of Nisar Ahmad Wani has been included in the list provisionally subject to grant of Integrity Certificate by the state (UT) government.

Select list of 2020, prepared against vacancies arisen between January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020, includes the names of Nisar Ahmad Wani; Commissioner, J&K State Taxes Prediman Krishen Bhat; Tariq Ahmad Zargar; Project Director, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan Bhawani Rakwal; Managing Director, J&K Housing Board Smita Sethi and Director General, J&K Youth Services and Sports Anuradha Gupta.

The name of Nisar Ahmad Wani, as per notification, has been included in the select list in addition to the normal size of the select list in accordance with the second proviso to Regulation 5(5) of the IAS (Appointment by promotion) Regulations, 1955. His name has been included in the list provisionally subject to grant of integrity certificate by the state government.

Prior to this induction clearance, 16 JKAS officers were inducted into IAS in 2022.

Srinagar, Aug 28: The 57-day annual Amarnath Yatra 2026 concluded Friday with the traditional Samapan Puja at the Amarnath Cave shrine, coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan.

Chhari Mubarak, the holy mace of lord Shiva, reached the 3880-metre-high shrine for the traditional Pujan and Darshan.

It was installed inside the cave amid prayers and Vedic chanting.

Mahant Deependra Giri, custodian of the holy mace, led the rituals. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha performed the Samapan Puja and formally marked the conclusion of the annual yatra.

The rituals are rooted in the traditional belief that lord Shiva narrated the tale of immortality to Goddess Parvati at the Amarnath cave shrine.

LG Sinha thanked the security forces, locals, Shri AmarnathJi Shrine Board officials, and volunteers for ensuring the smooth and peaceful conduct of the pilgrimage.

More than 4.80 lakh yatris undertook the yatra since it began July 3, using the traditional Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the shorter Baltal route in Ganderbal district.

The yatra was suspended August 9 on both routes due to adverse weather and damage to the yatra tracks.

The yatra concluded peacefully amid extensive security arrangements along the routes.

According to Shri AmarnathJi Shrine Board (SASB) – helicopter services remained suspended throughout the yatra.

After the rituals, Chhari Mubarak will return to Panchtarni and proceed through Sheshnag and Chandanwari before reaching Pahalgam on August 29.

The annual yatra will formally conclude August 30 with prayers followed by the traditional Visarjan ceremony in the Lidder River.

MP Ruhullah writes to Farooq Abdullah, questions party’s stand on Article 370

GK WEB DESK

Srinagar, Aug 28: Srinagar MP and JKNC leader Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Friday wrote a letter to party president Dr Farooq Abdullah and questioned party’s leadership position on the restoration of Article 370, which was taken away by New Delhi on August 05, 2019. He said the demand for restoration of constitutional guarantees cannot be abandoned merely in favour of statehood.

In a letter dated August 28, 2026, addressed to the party president, Mehdi referred to remarks made during a press statement on August 25 in which the leadership had questioned how long people would “be a slave” and urged them to stand on their feet.

Mehdi said those remarks resonated with the frustration felt by many in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly over the perception that the region’s demands were being pursued from a position of supplication before the BJP-led government at the Centre.

However, he questioned why the same political position was being criticised when he raised similar issues.

“I refuse to believe that your statement is merely ‘hollow posturing’ for ‘public consumption’, while your politics reflects something entirely different,” Mehdi said in the letter, adding that such a situation would be personally disappointing to him.

Questions “begging” remark on Article 370

Referring to the statement that “you want 370, but you beg from Delhi,” Mehdi argued that the demand for Article 370 restoration was not an unreasonable political position.

He pointed out that restoration of Article 370 had also featured in the BJP’s 2024 Assembly election manifesto, while the Supreme Court had recognised the constitutional history surrounding the provision.

According to Mehdi, the JKNC’s position should therefore not be treated as fundamentally different from the position it had itself taken earlier.

He further argued that accepting statehood as the outer limit of Jammu and Kashmir’s political aspirations could amount to legitimising and normalising what he described as the constitutional changes made in August 2019.

Mehdi said the party had come to power with commitments relating to the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A, but was now increasingly presenting statehood as the principal political objective.

He referred to the argument that “the very regime which abrogated Article 370 will never restore it,” and questioned whether such an argument was sufficient justification for abandoning the larger demand.

He said the issue was not simply about political positioning but concerned the dignity, constitutional guarantees and rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Mehdi also raised broader concerns over employment opportunities, land, natural resources, religious rights, traditions, language and environmental protection.

He noted that a large proportion of Jammu and Kashmir’s population is young and said uncertainty over employment and opportunities was becoming a major concern.

“Our job as elected representatives is to fight this constant degradation and dehumanisation — and not to adjust our aspirations to what the BJP is willing to concede,” Mehdi said.

The Srinagar MP said elected representatives had a responsibility to ensure that the political and constitutional changes of August 2019 did not become accepted as the “new political normal.”

He also argued that restoration of statehood should not be presented as an adequate substitute for the constitutional provisions and protections that were altered in 2019.

Mehdi stressed the need to continue seeking constitutional guarantees for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, including protections concerning their land, resources, culture and traditions.

He questioned how his position on these matters could be considered objectionable, particularly within the JKNC.

In another pointed reference, Mehdi reminded the party leadership that it had previously served as Chief Minister when the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly passed the Autonomy Resolution.

He questioned why raising the issue of constitutional guarantees had now become so controversial.

“What has changed — the aspirations of our people, or the JKNC’s willingness to stand up for them?” he asked.

Mehdi said he was raising these questions not out of disrespect but because he remembered the party leadership’s earlier political position and its role in seeking greater constitutional autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir.

The Srinagar MP said there were “many more questions” that could be raised but that, for the time being, he would await a response from the party leadership.

He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir also had a right to know what the JKNC truly stood for on the question of constitutional guarantees and the political future of the region.

Mehdi further stated that his resignation from the party would come and that he would have resigned even without being asked to do so, but insisted that accountability must precede his departure.

The letter also addressed what Mehdi described as a “disrespectful attack” made against him while demanding his resignation, indicating that the disagreement had developed beyond a policy dispute into a wider political confrontation within the party.

The letter highlights growing differences over whether the restoration of statehood should remain the principal immediate objective of Jammu and Kashmir’s political leadership or whether demands for the restoration of Article 370 and broader constitutional safeguards should continue to remain central to the JKNC’s political agenda.