The Kashmir Pulse

SRINAGAR — National Conference Rajya Sabha member Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan has said Srinagar MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi should resign and seek a fresh mandate if he believes the votes secured in the Lok Sabha election belonged to him personally rather than the party.

"If MP Ruhullah says it is his vote, he has to prove it first. He contested the election on the National Conference ticket. The mandate was given through the party," Ramzan said in an interview to KNS.

He said, "If he resigns and contests again and the people bring him back, I will be the first person to congratulate him."

Ramzan was responding to questions over ongoing differences within the National Conference and the issue of electoral mandate.

On Jantar Mantar protest

Addressing the party's protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Ramzan rejected criticism that the demonstration had failed to attract adequate participation.

He said the protest was organised by elected representatives of Jammu and Kashmir and that opposition parties had also been invited to participate.

"We did not invite people for a mass gathering. We invited the opposition because this is not only a National Conference issue. It is an issue concerning Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

Ramzan said representatives of several opposition parties participated in the protest and that the delegation also met people in Delhi.

"It was a very successful demonstration. At the national level, people took note of it, and the Central Government also took note," he said.

Responding to criticism that the protest did not receive adequate attention in Kashmir, Ramzan said several other demonstrations were being held in Delhi at the same time, and maintained that the Centre and its agencies would have taken note of the NC's protest.

He said the participation of opposition parties in programmes supporting restoration of statehood demonstrated that the issue had received attention at the national level.

On Article 370 and statehood

Ramzan also rejected criticism that the party had abandoned its demand for restoration of Article 370 after shifting its immediate focus to statehood.

"This is a misconception that we have left any issue on which we fought the elections," he said.

He said the first Cabinet resolution passed by the Jammu and Kashmir government after assuming office dealt with the restoration of constitutional rights.

"We have not left any issue. Our struggle is for the restoration of our constitutional rights. But our approach is different," he said.

Ramzan said the party wanted to pursue its objectives in a phased manner, with restoration of statehood being an immediate priority. He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir had given the National Conference a clear mandate in the Assembly elections, and the party was now working towards restoration of statehood while continuing its larger political struggle over constitutional rights.

He said the National Conference would continue to raise the issues of statehood and restoration of constitutional rights.

PULWAMA — Pulwama Police apprehended a person and recovered 27 bottles of Wecan-D (Codeine) during naka checking at Checkpora Bypass bridge, police said in a press release issued on August 9.

According to police, a party from Post Newa intercepted a motorcycle bearing registration No. JK01BD-5904, which was travelling from Pulwama towards Newa. During the checking, the bottles were recovered concealed beneath the motorcycle's seat.

The rider was identified as Adil Bashir Ganie, son of Bashir Ahmad Ganie, a resident of Dangerpora, Pulwama, and was apprehended on the spot, police said.

FIR No. 141/2026 has been registered at Police Station Pulwama under relevant provisions of law in connection with the seizure. Police said further investigation is underway to ascertain the source of the recovered substance and trace other possible linkages.

Pulwama Police said it remains committed to curbing drug abuse and the illegal trade of habit-forming substances and urged the public to share information regarding such activities.

SRINAGAR — Jammu & Kashmir’s two power distribution utilities—Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) and Jammu Power Development Corporation Limited (JPDCL)—have proposed a five percent hike in electricity tariff across all consumer categories for the financial year 2026–27.

In their separate petitions submitted to the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) for J&K and Ladakh, both utilities have proposed five percent increase in basic tariff.

“The Petitioner has conveyed its proposal regarding tariff revision for the proposed sub-categories at 5% across the board, along with J&K Government commitment towards subsidy support. Accordingly, the petitioner has requested the Commission to determine the subsidized tariff in accordance with the applicable provisions of law and the relevant Tariff Regulations,” reads the petitions.

The KPDCL and JPDCL have also sought rationalisation of tariff categories, proposing to reduce the number of categories from 13 to 8 and sub-categories from 47 to 22.

“The Petitioner submitted that, in compliance with the Revised Results Evaluation Framework of KPDCL—Part IV (Policy and Structural Reforms, Sub-part (2), Tariff Rationalization)—it has proposed reducing the number of tariff categories from 13 to 8 and sub-categories from 47 to 22,” the petitions read.

The JERC has conducted public hearings on the matter and is expected to take a final call soon on the matter.

President of the Federation Chamber of Industries Kashmir (FCIK), Shahid Kamili, told the news agency KNO that the chamber strongly opposed the proposed tariff hike during the public hearing.

“They have proposed a five percent increase in the basic tariff, but we opposed it. How can industries survive when you increase tariffs in the absence of incentives and marketing support from the government?” Kamili asked.