Asif Iqbal Naik
Kishtwar January 20, 2026: Suhaib Zargar, District President of the National Conference Students Union (NCSU) Kishtwar, has strongly demanded the establishment of a National Law University (NLU) in the Chenab Valley, citing decades of educational deprivation faced by the region.
In a statement issued to the media, Zargar said that despite possessing immense talent and academic potential, students from the Chenab Valley are forced to migrate to distant parts of the country for higher legal education due to the absence of premier institutions in the region. He emphasized that the establishment of a National Law University would significantly strengthen the education sector while opening new avenues of employment and overall development for local youth.
He stated that the Chenab Valley, comprising the districts of Kishtwar, Doda, and Ramban, deserves equitable access to quality higher education. Setting up an NLU in the region, he added, would be a meaningful step towards ensuring regional balance, educational empowerment, and social justice.
Attributing the economic contribution of the region, Suhaib Zargar said that Kishtwar alone contributes billions of rupees in revenue to the Union Government through major hydropower projects, forest produce, and rich mineral resources, including the world-famous Padder Sapphire mines. He added that several hydropower projects currently under construction in the district will further enhance revenue generation and substantially add to the exchequer of the Union Government in the coming years.
Suhaib Zargar urged the Government of Jammu and Kashmir and the concerned authorities to take immediate and concrete steps to fulfill this long-pending and genuine demand, and to ensure that the aspirations of the youth of the Chenab Valley are addressed without further delay.
He further reiterated that the National Conference, along with its student and youth wings, will continue to raise a strong and sustained voice for the educational rights, opportunities, and future of the youth of the Chenab Valley.
