Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 14: Shamsheer Hakla Poonchi a prominent Gujjar leader and an intellectual of J&K while terming the creation of new Parliamentary constituency of Rajouri and Anantnag a great decision has demanded that the same be reserved for Schedule Tribe community.
Hakla in a statement today said that there exists a huge population of Gujjars-Bakarwals in newly created Lok Sabha constituency of Rajouri-Anantnag and reserving this constituency for the community is a genuine demand to ensure Gujjar -Bakarwal community a representation in Parliament and this is their right as per norms of Schedule Tribe under Indian Constitution.
This representation of Gujjar Bakarwal community in the Parliament would pave a way for addressing their genuine issues and difficulties faced by them.
Hakla said that the Gujjar Bakarwal community resides in 20 districts of J&K U.T especially in hilly, mountainous and far-flung areas near forests and on the Indo-Pak LOC and International Border having a population of several lakhs.
He said that the Gujjars Bakarwals of J&K U.T are politically, educationally, socially and economically backward hence Government of India had granted Schedule Tribe status to them in 1991.
Due to the indifferent attitude of successive Governments in J&K, the Gujjar Bakarwal community were deprived of political rights, he added.
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