Irtiqa Mufti, elder daughter of PDP chief and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, is showing a keener interest in politics of late. The buzz is that she intends to join active politics. She showed no inclination earlier, even when her mother was CM, or when the state was bifurcated and Article 370 abrogated. Unlike Irtiqa, her younger sister, Iltija Mufti, became the PDP face when her mother and other party leaders were arrested after the abrogation and subsequent protests. She is currently the media advisor to Mehbooba and handle party affairs. Irtiqa has begun posting videos on X recently and getting noticed.
9-day Chinar Book Fest set to kick off today
The second edition of the nine-day Chinar Book Festival 2025 begins in Srinagar on Saturday at the iconic SKICC, featuring over 200 publishers and bookstalls. Organised by the National Book Trust in collaboration with the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language and the Srinagar District Administration, the fair will conclude on August 10. Visitors can explore Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya, a digital library platform offering free access to thousands of e-books. The event will have three components daily, with children’s activities in the mornings, book releases, author and writer interactions in the afternoons, and artistic showcases in the evening.
Congress to intensify stir for restoration of statehood
J&K Congress chief Tariq Hamid Karra says his party will intensify its stir for restoration of statehood to Jammu by observing August 5, the day when Article 370 was abrogated and the state downgraded, as “black day”. It will be followed by organising a hunger strike on August 9. “We want complete restoration. We talk of complete statehood as we have apprehensions that whenever statehood is restored, it might be partial. We want statehood like Gujarat, Maharashtra, UP or Andhra Pradesh,” he said. The Congress has a slew of programmes till August 21 as part of its ‘Hamari Riyasat Hamara Haq’ campaign, he adds.
Fayaz wani
Our correspondent in Jammu and Kashmir
fayazwani123@gmail.com