Political Tussle Erupts Over AIIMS Awantipora Site Visit in Jammu and Kashmir

J&K Health Minister Sakeena Itoo has accused former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti of overstepping by conducting an unofficial review of the under-construction AIIMS facility in Awantipora.

The ongoing development of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Awantipora has triggered a sharp political confrontation between the current National Conference-led administration and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). On Friday, June 5, 2026, J&K Health Minister Sakeena Itoo publicly lashed out at former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, accusing her of suffering from "political amnesia" following her surprise visit to the project site.

Accompanied by PDP legislators Rafiq Ahmad Naik and Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra, Mufti toured the construction site to engage with agencies on the ground. During the visit, the former CM underscored that the project was a "dream" of her father, the late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, who laid the foundation stone in 2015. Mufti expressed optimism regarding the project's recent acceleration, urging authorities to prioritize local employment for non-technical roles once the institution becomes operational.

A Question of Authority

The Health Minister, however, took strong exception to the optics of the visit. Itoo questioned the capacity in which a former ruler was conducting reviews of a state project, suggesting that such actions reflect an inability to move past their time in office, which ended in 2018. "Some people still behave as if they are in power, even though they have been repeatedly rejected by the people," Itoo said in a statement, emphasizing that the current government under Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is the only legitimate authority overseeing the work.

Beyond local political rivalry, the minister hinted at a deeper, covert influence. Itoo raised questions about which "power centre in Delhi" might be signaling the opposition to conduct such site visits. She labeled the PDP’s sudden interest in the project as ironic, asserting that the AIIMS project had previously stagnated due to the slow pace of work during the PDP’s tenure.

Claiming Ownership of Progress

The current administration maintains that the visible acceleration of the Awantipora facility is the direct result of the focused monitoring and commitment of the Omar Abdullah government. While the PDP frames the site visit as a duty to see a decade-old vision through to completion, the government views it as an attempt to claim undue credit for a project they argue was stalled under previous leadership.

For the residents of South Kashmir, the AIIMS project remains a critical infrastructure milestone. As the facility moves toward completion, it is expected to serve as a major healthcare hub. The clash highlights the increasing intensity of regional politics, where infrastructure projects serve as both benchmarks for governance and battlegrounds for political legitimacy in the Union Territory.