SRINAGAR: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday hit back at Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over his criticism of the site for the upcoming AIIMS in the valley, accusing successive National Conference (NC) governments of neglecting south Kashmir.
The premier medical institute is coming up at Awantipora in Pulwama district and is expected to be fully functional by the end of next year.
“During Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s tenure, south Kashmir witnessed significant development — from the Islamic University of Science and Technology to a university campus, medical college and AIIMS — all delivered within a short span,” Mehbooba wrote on X.
She said Abdullah’s remarks during his visit to Awantipora on Monday only reflected NC’s “indifference and apathy” toward the region.
“In decades of power, NC cannot cite a single comparable project in south Kashmir. While they often chose flood-prone sites for political favours, PDP ensured locations were picked in public interest,” she added.
Responding to concerns over the project’s delay, Abdullah said the site had been selected without proper assessment of its suitability for a hospital. “There were objections from the Army that required the detailed project report to be revised, which cost us a year,” he explained.
