Ishfaq Gulzar CNI
August 04, 2025Location: New DelhiIn a historic development on the sixth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, the Union Government has finalized the decision to grant full statehood to the Jammu region, while retaining the Kashmir Valley as a Union Territory without a legislative assembly.
Sources confirm that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have briefed the President of India on the move, marking a significant shift in the administrative structure of Jammu & Kashmir.
According to senior government officials, all procedural formalities have been completed, and the official notification is expected to be issued shortly. The decision is said to have been made after an extensive review of the security, political, and developmental situation in the region.
Key Highlights:Jammu to be a full-fledged state: With its own elected legislature and government, Jammu will regain legislative powers lost in 2019 when the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir was bifurcated and downgraded into two Union Territories Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
Kashmir to remain UT without legislature: The Kashmir Valley, due to its continued strategic and security sensitivity, will continue to be administered directly by the Centre, with no provision for an elected legislative body.President of India briefed: The final decision was communicated to the
President during a high-level meeting led by PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, indicating that a formal presidential proclamation may soon follow.This development is expected to be a cornerstone of the BJP government’s “New J&K” strategy, focusing on administrative efficiency,
regional empowerment, and continued national integration.Reactions Expected: While leaders in Jammu are likely to welcome the return of statehood, political parties and civil society groups in Kashmir may express concern over being left without representative governance.
Opposition leaders have already begun voicing demands for restoring legislative rights to the Valley as well.Security has been tightened across Jammu & Kashmir in anticipation of public response, with additional deployments reported in sensitive areas.
This decision, once formalized, would mark one of the most consequential reorganizations of territory and governance since the original reconstitution of the state in 2019.Further details are awaited as the government prepares for an official announcement in Parliament in the coming days.