Amarnath Yatra Resumes After 6-Day Halt as Rain Shuts Jammu-Srinagar Highway Again
Pilgrims and travellers in Jammu-Kashmir navigated the return of monsoon disruption this week, with the Amarnath Yatra restarting and the critical Jammu-Srinagar Highway again shut by weather.
6,000 Pilgrims Leave Jammu as Amarnath Yatra Resumes After Weather Halt
The Amarnath Yatra resumed this week after a six-day suspension caused by dangerous weather conditions on the high-altitude route to the Himalayan shrine. Deccan Herald reported that over 6,000 pilgrims departed from Jammu as authorities cleared the path following an assessment by the Border Roads Organisation and security agencies. The Amarnath cave temple, situated at an altitude of nearly 3,888 metres in Jammu and Kashmir, attracts hundreds of thousands of devotees each summer season, making the pilgrimage one of India's most significant religious journeys. The six-day halt, caused by continuous heavy rainfall and the resulting risk of landslides and flash floods along the Pahalgam and Baltal routes, left pilgrims stranded at base camps and prompted the administration to issue safety advisories. The resumption was welcomed with relief by religious organisations and tourism stakeholders who had been anxious about the disruption to the seasonal window. Meanwhile, the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was shut once again due to fresh rainfall, with India Today and Kashmir Observer both reporting on the closure and its impact on civilian movement and the supply of essential goods to the Valley. The death toll from rain-related incidents in J&K this season reached 23, underlining the serious humanitarian dimension of the ongoing monsoon. [1]
🗳️ Jammu Court Summons Pak-Based Terror Handler as ED Searches Narco-Terror Network Locations
A Jammu court directed a Pakistan-based terror handler to appear by August 21, marking a significant step in an ongoing case involving cross-border militancy, according to The Tribune. The summons reflect the J&K judiciary's continued engagement with security-related prosecutions even as the broader peace situation in the region remains complex. Rising Kashmir reported separately on the Enforcement Directorate conducting searches at nine locations across Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir as part of a probe into narco-terrorism funding networks suspected of channelling proceeds from drug trafficking to support militant activities in the region. The ED's action demonstrated the interagency coordination between law enforcement bodies tasked with dismantling financial pipelines that sustain terror groups operating across the India-Pakistan border. Daily Excelsior offered editorial context on the intersection of climate change and the region's evolving security environment, noting that extreme weather events create additional vulnerabilities that can be exploited. Kashmir Life reported that the J&K government raised the subsistence allowance of a suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police to 75 percent of their salary, a governance matter that attracted attention from legal commentators. The Vajiram and Ravi educational publication also featured a detailed roundup of Jammu and Kashmir's festivals and cultural calendar for 2026, providing useful reference material for civil service aspirants and travellers alike. [5]
Sources: [1] Deccan Herald · [5] The Tribune