Centre’s panel on demographic changes reaches Jammu, meets local groups
A high-level government committee is visiting Jammu to study demographic changes and the impact of illegal immigration. The visit has drawn attention from local political groups and civil society, with discussions centering on security and regional identity.
Why it matters
Demographic shifts in Jammu and Kashmir are highly sensitive political issues with significant implications for regional stability and national security policy.
A high-level committee studying demographic changes, headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar, on Tuesday (August 11, 2026) held interactions with civil society groups in Jammu. BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in Jammu and Kashmir Sunil Sharma warned of Pakistan’s bids at “infiltration, illegal settlement and land jehad”.
The committee visited Jagti Migrant Township in Nagrota, Jammu, which is the largest colony of Kashmiri Pandits who left the Kashmir valley in the face of raging militancy in the 1990s. The panel comprises Census Commissioner Mritunjay Kumar, retired IAS officer Durga Shankar Mishra, retired IPS officer Balaji Srivastava and economist Shamika Ravi.
“Jagti is home to more than 5,000 Kashmiri Pandit families. The committee met the residents and interacted with them. It listened carefully to their sentiments and suggestions,” said Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner (Migrants) Arvind Karwani.
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