Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday (June 18, 2026) took stock of the arrangements made for the upcoming mela at the Mata Kheer Bhawani shrine in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, where thousands of displaced Kashmiri Pandits converge every year. 

Meanwhile, former J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also urged local service providers of the Amarnath yatra to ensure that “prejudice and mistrust is addressed with actions” during the pilgrimage.

“Both as the Chief Minister and as the local MLA, I came to assess the arrangements on the ground. Several concerns and requirements were brought to my notice by priests and others associated with the shrine. I have passed directions to the administration to address them before the commencement of the mela,” Mr. Abdullah said.

He said the issue of water shortages will also be addressed during the pilgrimage. 

The Kheer Bhawani mela, central to Kashmiri Pandits, is scheduled for June 22. Before 1989, the Pandit population of Kashmir would perform special prayers on the occasion of the annual holy day of ‘Zyeshth Ashtami’ at Khir Bhawani temple. The festival became a low-key affair after hundreds of Pandits fled the Valley in the face of raging militancy in 1989. 

However, officials said the administration expected an uptick in the number of devotees this year, after a recent successful tour of multiple groups of Pandits to Kashmir to assess the degree of normalcy and dip in militant violence. 

The tour was headed by Dr. Surinder Koul, who heads the Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora. The group organised ‘Praagaash’ in Srinagar and has set the stage for “a historic dialogue, reflection, heritage preservation, cultural renaissance and community empowerment”. Around eight Pandit organisations have lent support to this initiative across the globe. 

Mehbooba Mufti meets stakeholders

Meanwhile, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday held a meeting with the stakeholders of the Amarnath yatra. 

“The Yatra is an opportunity for us to connect with people from across India. Our hospitality, kindness, and compassion should be our answer to prejudice and mistrust. Let every devotee who visits Kashmir leave with a deeper understanding of our values, our faith, and our people. This is our chance to show the true spirit of Islam and Kashmir,” said Ms. Mufti. 

She said the Yatra should be viewed not merely as a religious pilgrimage but as an opportunity to strengthen bonds of trust, understanding and shared belonging between Kashmir and the rest of the country.

She said people of Kashmir have consistently welcomed visitors with warmth and dignity. “Yatra is a chance to turn mistrust into understanding, may every devotee leave Kashmir touched by the warmth of our hearts, the generosity of our people, and the compassion that lies at the core of Kashmir,” she added.