Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 24: The Jammu and Kashmir Sharnarthi Action Committee (JKSAC) strongly condemned the State Govt for providing reservation to Pahari speaking people, a politically carved category, thus ignoring and depriving the benefits to DPs of 1947 from PoK who are also economically socially and educationally backward and are crying for reservations for their wards in Govt services and technical institutions of the State from the last seven decades.
While addressing a press conference here Gurdev Singh president along with Netar Parkash general secretary expressed grave concern over carving out another category to provide reservation merely for political considerations, thus blatantly ignoring the norms set by many approved commissions, which categorically recommends that the reservation should be granted to economically, educationally and socially weaker section of the society having distinct culture and religion residing in any area of the State/country.
Singh said that the Govt has violated the recommendations as there is no Pahari language as such in J&K State or else where in the country. In the hilly areas many languages are spoken by different communities/clans having their own distinct culture, ethnic and linguistic identity. He said that Bill No. 18 of 2014 passed by State Legislature was returned by His Excellency, the Governor of J&K State, when a delegation of JKSAC met him and expressed their reservations. The observation raised by Governor in 2014 has not been properly addressed by Commission for Backward Classes. He said that phrase used for this Pahari speaking people category is absolutely wrong when there is no such language exist even in any remote hilly area of the State.
It is not understood how the areas have been identified without evolving any proper criteria. The other observations that the basis of which a person can be declared a Pahari speaking has been completely overlooked. He asked the Govt why some particular areas are picked up for reservations when people residing in far flung hilly areas of Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban and Kathua who are also backward in all the respect and have not been considered.
He further clarified that DPs of 1947 are not against any community or any particular area but the DPs reserve the right to project their legitimate claim for reservation who were thrown out from places of PoK by Pakistani tribals for none of their faults. Since then they are crying for reservations in legislature, Govt services/ institutions. It is great travesty of justice that their cries have not been taken into account as all of them have come from far-flung hilly areas of erstwhile J&K State and speak Pahari languags having distinct culture and religion. They are unsettled and are economically, educationally and socially backward.
He urged upon the State Legislature/Govt to reconsider the bill to accommodate the DPs and issue orders to enhance reservation quota from 3% to 7% to accommodate all DPs of 1947 from PoK irrespective of the areas they live in at present.
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