J&K health minister takes exception to Mehbooba’s AIIMS tour, says she ‘suffers from political amnesia’

Jammu and Kashmir Health Minister Sakina Itoo criticizes former Chief Minister Mehboob Mufti as he tours the under construction site of AIIMS Kashmir. File | Photo credit: ANI

Jammu and Kashmir Health Minister Sakeena Itoo on Friday (June 5, 2026) granted an exemption to former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehboob Mufti, who toured the under-construction campus of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Kashmir, in south Kashmir’s Awan area.

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“Some people seem to suffer from political amnesia. They still act as if they are in power even though they lost office in 2018 and have been repeatedly rejected by the people since then. Today, the elected government is led by the honorable Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Yet one wonders in what capacity the former rulers are evaluating the AIIMS Awantipora project,” Ms Itapo said.

In an indirect reference to the BJP, Ms Itoo said: “More importantly, who is signaling them to carry out such exercises? Which power center in Delhi is directing these actions? Ironically, those who made the AIIMS project move at a painfully slow pace are now trying to take ownership of its progress.”

She said that the fact is that the project is moving towards completion because of the concerted efforts, monitoring and determination of the present government led by CM Omar Abdullah. “The people of J&K are wise enough to differentiate between those who delay development and those who ensure its delivery,” she said.

The Jammu and Kashmir Health Minister’s statement came hours after Ms Mufti, along with Talal legislator Rafiq Ahmad Naik and Pulwama legislator Waheed-ur Rehman Parra, visited AIIMS, Awantipora “to understand the progress made on the project and engage with the concerned agencies on the ground”.

“It was a dream project of Mufti Muhammad Sayeed. It is good to see that the work has picked up pace. The project must prove beneficial to the local area. I hope locals will be preferred for most of the non-professional and non-technical posts,” Ms Mufti said.

Ms. Mufti was seen being briefed about the project by AIIMS officials. “Mufti sahab envisioned and laid the foundation of AIIMS Awantipora in 2015. Great progress has been made in this key institution, a project started by PDP more than a decade ago. AIIMS Awantipora has the potential to become one of the leading centers of healthcare, medical education and research in J&K,” said Ms. Mufti.

She also requested Union Health Minister JP Nadda “to kindly expedite the completion of this vital institution so that quality health services reach the people of J&K at the earliest”.

Published – June 6, 2026 12:40 PM IST