Aug 28. 2025: The recent landslides and flash floods that swept through a number of areas of the Union Territory have left political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir grieving. Extending condolences to the bereaved families, they also urged the administration to provide immediate relief, compensation, and ensure safety measures for the affected people.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, the former Chairman of the DPAP and former Chief Minister of J&K, has expressed his deep sadness regarding the most recent floods in the province of Jammu. According to him, the cloudburst in Bhalessa has destroyed a significant amount of property, causing damage to a number of them; in other areas of Jammu, it has also affected a number of homes and businesses. It is extremely regrettable, according to Ghulam Nabi Azad, that precious lives have also been lost in Katra as a result of the disaster. He prayed for strength to bear the irreparable loss and offered his sincere condolences to the families of the deceased. He said, “the loss of lives in Katra is deeply tragic. The Government must ensure proper relief and extend immediate assistance to the families who have lost their loved ones in this disaster.” He appealed to the people to remain vigilant and stay in safer places until the situation improves.
The Chairman of the DPAP called on the Government to do everything in its power to ensure the people's safety, provide immediate assistance, compensate the affected families fairly, and ex-gratia the kin of those who died. He further said, “even in several parts of Kashmir, the water level has crossed the danger mark. To ensure the people's safety, the government must take the necessary steps. For those who have lost their homes, shelter sheds must be set up right away and moved to safer locations. Dr. Farooq Abdullah, president of the National Conference, expressed regret and concern regarding the devastating floods that have ravaged several parts of the Jammu region. He expressed sorrow over the deaths of more than 30 pilgrims who were participating in the yatra toward the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine when they were tragically killed in a landslide. He offered his condolences to the deceased's families and prayed for the injured's prompt recovery. Dr. Abdullah expressed his condolences to the families whose loved ones, homes, property, and livestock have been destroyed in this disaster in his message. “The timely reach-out and rescue operations undertaken by the administration have saved countless lives and brought much-needed relief to those stranded,” he said.
In addition, he urged the Central Government to immediately provide relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction efforts with financial and logistical support. He also appealed to NGOs, civil society organizations and citizens to come forward in solidarity to support the ongoing relief efforts.
Gulam Ali Khatana, a senior leader in the BJP and a member of Parliament, expressed deep concern regarding the unprecedented floods that have struck Jammu and expressed his sympathy to the affected population. He stated that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are keeping a constant eye on the situation at the national level. Khatana added that Jammu and Kashmir operations are personally overseen by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. He stated that the Indian Air Force, paramilitary forces, the NDRF, and the SDRF are continuously carrying out rescue and relief operations and supplying immediate relief supplies. The MP stated that the administration is working to restore essential services on priority. He stated that teams are already working in the affected areas to restore electricity, drinking water, and mobile communication. He urged the populace to maintain their composure and fully cooperate with the authorities. Khatana assured the people that he will continue to remain in touch with both the local population and the officials until normalcy is restored. He stated that every effort was being made to alleviate the suffering of the populace and restore normalcy as quickly as possible. J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) also expressed deep shock over the loss of lives, including 34 Vaishno Devi pilgrims and five others in Doda district, and injuries to several others due to devastating rains and landslides. In a statement, JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra and other senior Congress leaders expressed deep shock over the loss of lives and injuries to a number of people. They conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured persons.
Karra and other senior leaders also expressed their sadness over the deaths of four people in the Doda district as a result of the destruction wrought by heavy rains and the injuries sustained by ten others. They prayed for peace to the departed souls and expressed sympathies with the bereaved families. They asked the administration to make arrangements for the best treatment for the injured and prayed for their prompt recovery. The leaders of the PCC urged the government to immediately provide ex-gratia assistance to the surviving relatives of the deceased and to the injured for their specialized care. The Party also expressed serious concern over the devastation caused by the heavy rains, floods, cloudbursts, and landslides and urged all concerned agencies to be on full alert to come to the rescue of people getting trapped and affected.
Working president Raman Bhalla, senior leaders Ch Lal Singh, Mula Ram, Balwan Singh, Ravinder Sharma (chief spokesperson), Yogesh Sawhney, Ved Mahajan, T S Bajwa, Yashpal Kundal, Th Balbir Singh, Sheikh Haider, Naresh Gupta, Jahangir Mir, G M Saroori, Shah Mohammed Chaudhary, Iftikhar Ahmed (MLA), ex-MLAs Indu Pawar, National Conference (NC), while expressing profound grief and anger over the tragic death of 30 pilgrims, questioned the LG’s decision, who is also the Chairman of the SMVD Board, to let Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra continue despite the inclement weather forecast. In a joint statement, additional general secretary Ajay Kumar Sadhotra and provincial president Rattan Lal Gupta raised serious questions about the glaring lapses in decision-making that led to the avoidable tragedy.
“The buck for the safety and security of every pilgrim stops squarely with the Chairman of the Shrine Board,” they stated, adding, “When the severe weather forecast for the Jammu province was well-known, why was the yatra not halted proactively? Why were pilgrims allowed to continue on a track which is prone to landslides during such extreme conditions?”
They said that the primary responsibility of the Shrine Board is to ensure pilgrim safety, a duty that appears to have been severely compromised. Despite the fact that this is not the first incident of its kind, the administration appears to have ignored obvious threats. The LG cannot keep getting away with such glaring lapses,” they added. The leaders expressed their sincere condolences to the deceased's families and demanded an in-depth, time-bound investigation into the mistakes that led to this disaster. Dr. Karan Singh expressed his shock at the natural disasters that have struck J&K, particularly the former Sadar-e-Riyasat region of Jammu. He hoped that the Central Government would provide the necessary assistance to deal with the situation. The nonagenarian leader expressed his deepest condolences to the grieving families of the deceased and prayed for the quick recovery of the injured in a statement released today. He stated, "I hope the Central Government will extend to the State administration all necessary support to deal with the current crisis effectively." Former Cabinet Minister and vice president of J&K BJP, Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali, expressed shock over the loss of lives, property, and crops across J&K, particularly in the Rajouri and Poonch regions in recent flash floods, heavy rains, and landslides. Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali expressed his deep shock and sympathies to the grieving families of the Adhkavari tragedy in Katra, where a major landslide claimed the lives of numerous devotees of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi. According to Zulfkar Ali, the incessant rains have resulted in significant losses in the Pir Panjal regions of the Rajouri and Poonch districts. Heavy floods and landslides have damaged standing crops, horticultural produce, and even the property of people worth several crores.
He demanded that the government send special revenue teams to assess the losses on the ground and compensate the victims of this terrible natural disaster adequately. Chowdhary Zulfkar himself went to several places in the Rajouri district and talked to people who were sick. Rishi Kilam, youth spokesperson for the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), also expressed sorrow over the deaths caused by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi landslide. Rishi Kilam said that the Shrine Board and LG Manoj Sinha failed completely because they let the pilgrims go on the Yatra when the weather department issued a high alert. Kilam expressed her condolences to the victims' families and described the incident as "sad." He also wished a speedy recovery to the injured. “My thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest!” According to Kilam, he urged the Shrine Board to provide victims with adequate compensation and urged the Central Government to provide the best support possible. Additionally, he demanded that the LG resign immediately.