Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 25: Senior Congress leaders have welcomed the Governor’s assent to the long pending bill providing reservation to the Pahari speaking people of the State.
In a joint statement several senior leaders of the party have welcomed the Governor’s decision granting assent to the bill, which was originally passed in 2014 during NC-Congress regime but awaited final nod for want of satisfying certain legal queries. However it look more than four years to meet the said legal necessities.
They said Pahari speaking people were struggling since long for grant of ST status. Besides Congress, it was recommended time and again by all the successive Governments. The cause of Pahari speaking people for reservation in the State was first proposed by then Govt headed by GN Azad. Finally, the bill for the same was introduced and passed during NC-Congress regime, in both Houses. The accent was withheld on some technical grounds, which took more than four years to clear the passage. They welcomed the Governor’s decision and expressed gratitude to him.
Signatories to the statement include- Ravinder Sharma- chief spokesperson JKPCC, former Minister Shabir Ahmed Khan, former Dy Chairman Legislative Council Jahangir Hussain Mir, former MLA and senior leader Ashok Sharma, RS Sharma (ex-MLA), senior leader Iqbal Malik, Yasin Shah, Asgar Khan, Qazi Mehboob, Praveen Sarwar Khan, S. Rajinder Singh Kaka, Kramat Malik, Shakeel Mir, Zahid Malik, Sushil Sharma, Lovely Gupta, Rajinder Prasad and others.
Meanwhile, JK Pahari People Movement and JK Pahari Revolutionary Movement extended gratitude to the Governor SP Malik for extending 3 % reservation to the Pahari speaking people. They welcomed this decision and held celebrations in Rajouri and Jammu.
Former Minister Mohd Dillawar Mir and former MLA Rafiabad Yawar Dillawar Mir have also welcomed the decision to grant reservation to Paharis.
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