Srinagar, July 3: The over-a-week-long meat crisis in Kashmir ended on Friday after the Kashmir Mutton Dealers Association (KMDA) called off the strike following the Punjab government's intervention.

The KMDA said it decided to withdraw the strike after receiving assurances from the Punjab government, paving the way for the resumption of livestock imports to the Valley.
Kashmir had been facing an acute shortage of mutton ever since the Punjab Government imposed a levy on vehicles carrying livestock through the state.
Welcoming the development, National Conference state spokesman Imran Dar credited Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for resolving the crisis through his intervention.
"Deadlock ended! Kudos to HCM @OmarAbdullahsb for his swift intervention in resolving the Mutton crisis with Punjab. Finally, relief for the people during the wedding season. Omar efforts ensured resumption of livestock supply to Kashmir, bringing much-needed relief,” Imran posted on X.
The disruption began after wholesale mutton dealers suspended imports of livestock from Rajasthan, Delhi and other states, alleging that trucks carrying animals through Punjab were being subjected to an "illegal" levy. The strike also hit mutton sales across Kashmir, causing concern among families preparing for weddings.
Describing the levy on livestock-laden vehicles transiting through Punjab as "unjust", Omar Abdullah had taken up the matter with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, seeking immediate intervention to ensure the smooth movement of livestock transport vehicles.
In a letter to Mann on June 23, Abdullah urged the Punjab government to stop the unauthorised collection of fees from transporters carrying valid permits and documents.
Citing the findings of an internal committee of the Jammu and Kashmir Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, Abdullah said transporters were allegedly being forced to pay substantial amounts without any legal sanction.
He noted that livestock movement is exempt from GST and warned that the continued imposition of such charges was increasing transportation costs, pushing up meat prices and burdening consumers in Jammu and Kashmir.
The strike, which continued for several days, had disrupted the transportation of sheep from Punjab to Jammu and Kashmir, triggering concerns over a possible mutton shortage in Kashmir, particularly during the ongoing marriage season.
IWT to stay in abeyance until Pak ends terror: India support
BK News Service
New Delhi, July 3: India on Friday reiterated that the Indus Waters Treaty will remain in abeyance until Pakistan takes credible and irreversible steps to end its support for cross-border terrorism.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India's stance on the treaty remains unchanged.
"India's position on the Indus Waters Treaty is consistent. IWT stands in abeyance in response to Pakistan's continued sponsorship of cross-border terrorism. Pakistan must credibly and irrevocably abjure its support for cross-border terrorism," Jaiswal said.
Ever since India decided to keep the IWT in abeyance following the April 2025 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists, Pakistan has been lying to the international community that India's decision sets a dangerous precedent for nations that share transboundary rivers.
Last year, India had said that until such time that the treaty is in abeyance, India is no longer bound to perform any of its obligations under the IWT.
"No court of arbitration, much less this illegally constituted arbitral body which has no existence in the eye of law, has the jurisdiction to examine the legality of India's actions in exercise of its rights as a sovereign," the MEA said in June 2025.
The IWT, brokered by the World Bank, has governed the distribution and use of the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan since 1960. The two neighbours signed the treaty after nine years of negotiations.