Shamsher Hakla Poonchi
Gujjar-Bakarwal community is a sum total of warlike tribes and is a grand old community. It has its own identity, customs and a unique way of life. The needs and the problems of Gujjar Bakarwal community are quite different from other communities of the J&K State. Language and the culture of Gujjar Bakarwal is different. Gujjar Bakarwal community of the J&K State is socially, educationally, economically and politically backward.
Gujjars are found throughout India. In Jammu and Kashmir, Gujjars Bakarwal community has its habitation in almost twenty districts of the J&K State.
Despite having a glorious past and a rich tradition, the Gujjars are considered to be backward. This is due to the fact, that they are economically weak and have a very low percentage of literacy. Due to their living conditions they do not fall in the ambit of basic amenities and remain immune to outside influence. Livestock forms an essential part of their economy. As most of them are nomads and have no land of their own, they heavily depend on cattle and its product. Though, Government has done a good deal for their betterment yet economically they still stand too behind. To reach even this State the Gujjars had to wage a long battle.
As per my record Ch Wazir Mohd Hakla of Poonch J&K was the first Gujjar personality of J&K who participated in the first ever Gujjar conference at Shimla in Himachal Pradesh when the Government of India conferred scheduled tribe status upon the Gujjars of Himachal Pradesh. While addressing the audience from all over the India. Ch. Wazir Mohd Hakla demanded that the Scheduled Tribe status should also be conferred upon the Gujjar Bakarwals of Jammu and Kashmir the movement of Scheduled Tribe for Gujjar Bakarwal of J&K started at that time.
The leaders like Ch. Wazir Mohd Hakla of Poonch J&K Ch. Ghulam Hussain Lasanvi, Mian Nizam Din Larvi, Ch. Fateh Ali Sarvari Kasana of Jammu and Ch. Mohd Shafi Khatana of Mati Badyar Anantnag Kashmir etc. visited the Gujjar localities, held meetings with them and started the demand of Scheduled Tribe status from the then Govt on the basis of their poverty and backwardness. These leaders published their statements focussing the attention of the Govt. to this point. The Hindu and Sikh Gujjar leaders of the other States of India also supported the cause of J&K Gujjars.
On 11 June 1965 the Hindu, Sikh and Muslim Gujjars leaders of India held a great sammelan under the banner of All India Gujjar Mahasabha at Badarpur, New Delhi which was chaired by Ch.Wazir Mohd Hakla of Poonch J&K State who in his presidential speech had put the demand before the Govt of India to grant ST status to the Gujjars of Jammu and Kashmir on the basisof poverty and backwardness. He appealed the Hindu and Sikh Gujjar leaders to extend full co-operation to J&K Gujjar Bakerwal to achieve their objective. After this sammelan the Hindu, Muslim and Sikh Gujjar leaders of other States of India extended full support to their movement.
In 1975,a joint sammelan of Hindu, Muslim Gujjars of India, under the chairmanship of Babu Jagjivan Ram was held in Mawlanker Hall in New Delhi.At that time Mr. Ram was Agriculture Minister in the Union Cabinet of Govt of India.The opening speech was delivered by Ch Wazir Mohd Hakla Poonchi himself who in his speech demanded ST status to Gujjars and Bakarwals of J&K State from the Union Govt of India.He had also requested Babu Jagjivan Ram to support the demand of the movement .During his speech Babu Jagjivan Ram assured of his full support.
On 26th of Oct. 1975, a joint deputation of Hindu-Muslim Gujjars MPs and MLAs belonging to different state of the India met with the then Prime Minister of India Mrs. Indira Gandhi.The deputation was led by Ch Wazir Mohd Hakla of Poonch. Ch .Hakla appealed the Prime Minister keeping in view the backwardness of the Gujjar and Bakarwals of J&K, they may be granted ST status.The deputation led by Ch. Hakla consisted of Sri Ram Chander Vikal (M.P.) Shafkat Jung Chouhan (M.P.), Mela Ram(M.L.A. Rajasthan),Ch. Talib Hussain (M.L.A. Rajouri J&K), Ram Saran Bhatti of New Delhi, Jaswant Singh of Okhla-New Delhi, L.C. Chechi New Delhi, Nasir Jung Chouhan Muzaffar Nagar (UP) and Ch. Mohd Din(Padam Shri of J&K).In the year 1976 a Gujjar convention was held at Bholpur-Rajasthan in which lakhs of Hindu,Muslim and Sikh Gujjars participated.Ch. Noor Din Kataria and Ch. Ghulam Rasool Asghar had represented the Gujjars of Jammu and Kashmir. Mr. Asghar and Mr. Kataria had demanded ST status to Gujjar Bakerwals of J&K from the Home Minister by way of their speeches in the said convention.
In 1976, the then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi,had participated in Gujjar Conference at Zanana Park Jammu as a Chief Guest.In her speech the Prime Minister of India had declared that if J&K Govt.would endorse the case of Gujjar and Bakerwals of J&K recommending ST status for them, Govt. of India would have no objection to their demand.
In 1976 a big procession led by Mian Bashir Ahmd Larvi, was taken out from Shahidi Chowk Jammu and had entered Civil Secretariat Jammu by breaking open the main gate and pleaded for ST Status. to Gujjars and Bakarwals of Jammu and Kashmir State.Inspite of great clamour in the precession ,the J&K Govt. did not budge an inch to accept the demand of this Community. But this movement went ahead inspite of political obstructions. In the meanwhile a Gujjar leader Taj Mohi-ud-Din framed a Gujjar Forum” Organization and started struggling for the achievement of the aim of this Gujjar movement. This Forum started to organize conventions at every District and Tehsil Headquarters of the State which gave impetus to this movement.
On 28.7.1983 the Hindu Gujjar M.P. Mr. Rajesh Pilot tabled a resolution on the Indian Parliament to grant ST status to Gujjar Bakerwal community of J&K but the same could not be achieved.
In 1984 Gujjars held rallies and demonstrations at every District Headquarter of the State in favour of their demand for the grant of ST status to them.Compelled by the pressure of the majority of people,the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Dr. Farooq Abdullah endorsed the genuine cause but inspite of this,the demand file remained unattended in the baskets and nobody gave any importance to it, but in the State the movement went on without any laxity.Persons connected with Govt. service in the State also did not hesitate to support the cause of Gujjars and Bakerwals. Sheikh Abdul Rehman, Prof. Bhim Singh ,Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, Mr. Mangat Ram Sharma, Mr. Dharam Paul Sharma, Sheikh Nazir Ahmed, Mr. Bal Raj Puri Th. Randhir Singh etc. extended their full co-operation to this movement. Mr. Bal Raj Puri, Mr Ved Bhasin, Mr S.D.Rohmetra, Prof Hari Om etc. extended whole hearted support to this cause through platform and invited the attention of the Govt. towards this objective.
In 1990 the State Govt. led by Dr. Farooq Abdullah was dismissed and Governor Rule came into being.The prominent Gujjar leaders of the State stressed upon the Governor to get this problem solved by the Centre.The then Governor of the State G.C. Saxena urged the then
Prime Minister of India Chander Shekhar to consider the case of Gujjar Bakerwals community to grant them ST status in view of their economic backwardness.Mr. Rajesh Pilot , Avtar Singh Budhana,Ram Chander Vika ,Ram Saran Bhati, Ch. Mohd Aslam Lasanvi, Mian Bashir Ahmed Larvi,Ch Lal Mohd Saber,Ch Talib Hussain,Ch.Mohd Hussain, of Dharal Rajouri Ch. Ghulam Rasool Asgar,Abdul Rehman Bhadana,Mian Altaf Ahmed , Masood Chaudhary ,Haji Blund Khan , Ch. Salam Din of Kapwara Kashmir , Mohd Younis Chouhan Advocate of Poonch and Engineer Abdul Ghani Kohli also started negotiating with the Central Govt. in favour of the accomplishment of the Gujjars cause of the State.Various leaders of the State also laid stress on Prime Minister,Chander Shekhar to concede the demand.
In order to grant ST status to the Gujjars of Jammu and Kashmir State, the former M.P. and Hindu Gujjar leader Ram Chander Vikal also contributed a lot and made sincere efforts to enhance the Gujjar cause.
At last in 1991 Prime Minister of India Chander Shekhar recommended to the President of India that the Gujjar Bakarwals of Jammu and Kashmir State may be granted the Scheduled Tribe status. On 19 April 1991 the President of India, Venkata Raman granted S.T. status to Gujjars Bakarwals of the State under Ordinance No.3 of 1991 under Article 342 of the Indian Constitution and included the Gujjars and Bakarwals in Scheduled Tribe category. This status was the result of continued movement which experienced many ups and downs during its course. Even after the lapse of our 25 years since their grant of schedule tribe status the State Government of Jammu and Kashmir could not implement in letter and spirit to give full benefit of Scheduled Tribe status to Gujjar Bakarwal community of J&K. It would be appropriate to mention here that all the efforts made by Government of India for the welfare and development of Gujjar Bakarwal community of J&K State. Have been deliberately obstructed by the State Government for the past many decades which result in their utter social, economical, educational and political backwardness of Gujjar Bakarwal community of J&K.
(The author is a Gujjar leader of J&K)
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