Overview
- Mehbooba Mufti renewed a push to grant divisional status to Pir Panjal and the Chenab Valley—covering Rajouri, Poonch, Ramban, Doda and Kishtwar—arguing difficult terrain and poor service access demand decentralised administration.
- The BJP condemned the proposal as “divisive” and “ISI-scripted,” with party spokespersons alleging it aims to fragment Jammu under the guise of administrative convenience.
- National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah rejected creating new divisions or districts, likened such ideas to the Dixon Plan, and insisted Jammu and Kashmir’s unity is non‑negotiable.
- People’s Conference chief Sajad Gani Lone escalated the row by openly endorsing separation of Jammu from Kashmir, calling it “true liberation” and questioning the rationale for keeping the regions together.
- No administrative changes have been enacted, and fresh reporting notes the NC had promised divisional status for Pir Panjal and the Chenab Valley in 2019, highlighting shifting political positions in the current debate.