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. Language and the culture of Gujjar Bakarwal is different. Gujjar Bakarwal community of the J&K is socially, educationally, economically and politically backward. The Gujjar Bakarwal of J&K are divided into 3 (Three) tribes : Settled, Half-Settled & Unsettled Nomadic. Every year, the Half Settled and Unsettled Nomadic people of Gujjar Bakarwal community of J&K migrate to the upper reaches (Dhoks) of mountains of J&K for 6 months during summer along with their cattle, families and belongings and then migrate back to lower plains during winter.
In Jammu and Kashmir, Gujjars Bakarwal community has its habitation in twenty districts of the J&K and most of them reside on the hilly, mountainous and far-flung areas, near the forests and on the LOC of Indo-Pak of J&K. The habitation areas of maximum people of Gujjar Bakarwal community of J&K lack in basic necessities of life viz : Road Communication, Electricity, Water Supply, Education and Medical Facilities etc.
As per my record Choudhary Wazir Mohd Hakla of Poonch district of J&K, the Gujjar personality of J&K participated in the Gujjar conference held at Himachal Pradesh in 1958, when the Government of India conferred scheduled tribe status upon the Gujjars of Himachal Pradesh. While addressing the audience in the Gujjar Conference in which lakhs Hindu-Muslim-Sikh Gujjars participated from all over the India. He demanded to that the Schedule Tribe status should also be conferred upon the Gujjars Bakarwals of Jammu and Kashmir and thus, the movement of Schedule Tribe for Gujjar Bakarwal of J&K started at that time. While returning from Himachal Pradesh to Jammu, after attending the Gujjar Conference Mr Hakla discussed the issue with leaders like Ch. Ghulam Hussain Lasanvi, MianNizam Din Larvi, Ch. Fateh Ali Sarvari Kasana of Jammu about the movement and then visited the Gujjar localities of J&K, held meetings with them and started the demand of Schedule 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. And this was the time when this movement was started and Gujjars Bakarwals of J&K started participating in it in very large numbers.
On 26th of Oct. 1975, a joint deputation of Hindu-Muslim Gujjars MPs and MLAs belonging to different states of the India met with the then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi at New Delhi. The deputation was led by Ch Wazir Mohd Hakla of Poonch, J&K. Ch .Hakla appealed the Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi, keeping in view the backwardness of the Gujjar and Bakarwals of J&K, that they be granted Schedule Tribe status.
In 1976, the then Prime Minister of India Mrs 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 Schedule Tribe 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, J&K and had entered Govt. Civil Secretariat Jammu by breaking open the main gate of the Govt. Secretariat and pleaded for Schedule Tribe Status to Gujjars and Bakarwals of Jammu and Kashmir. 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 Bakarwal movement. This Forum started to organize conventions at every District and Tehsil Headquarters of the J&K which gave impetus to this movement.
On 28.7.1983 the Hindu Gujjar Member of Parliament of Rajasthan State- Rajesh Pilot tabled a resolution on the Indian Parliament to grant Schedule Tribe 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 J&K in favour of their demand for the grant of Schedule Tribe status to them. Compelled by the pressure of the majority of people, in 1989 the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Dr. Farooq Abdullah recommended tothe Govt. Of India the genuine cause of granting Schedule Tribe status to Gujjars Bakarwals of J&K 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 interruption.
In 1990 the J&K State Govt. led by Dr. Farooq Abdullah was dismissed and Governor Rule was imposed in J&K .The prominent Gujjar leaders of the J&K stressed upon the Governor of J&K – Sh. Girish Chandra Saxena to get this problem solved by the Government Of India.The then Governor of the J&K state Girish Chandra Saxena urged the then Prime Minister of India ChanderShekhar to consider the case of Gujjar Bakerwals community to grant them Schedule Tribe status in view of their economic, social, educational and political backwardness. Meanwhile Various political and Gujjar leaders of the State also laid stress on Prime Minister, Chander Shekhar to concede the demand of Gujjar Bakarwal for Schedule Tribe status.
In order to grant Schedule Tribe Status to the Gujjars Bakarwals of Jammu and Kashmir State, the former M.P. and Hindu Gujjar leader of India Ram ChanderVikal, Rajesh Pilot and Avatar Singh Bhadana also contributed a lot and made sincere efforts to enhance the Gujjar Bakarwal cause.
At last in1991, with the efforts of the Governor of Jammu & Kashmir Girish Chandra Saxena, the Prime Minister of India -ChanderShekhar recommended to the President of India that the Gujjars Bakarwals of Jammu and Kashmir may be granted the Scheduled Tribe status and finally on 19 April 1991 the President of India, Venkata Raman issued ordinance for granting Schedule Tribe status to Gujjars Bakarwals of the J&K State under Ordinance No.3 of 1991 under Article 342 of the Indian Constitution and included the Gujjars and Bakarwals in Schedule Tribe category. This status was the result of continued movement which experienced many ups and downs during its course.
After getting the benefits of Schedule Tribe status from the Governments, the Gujjar Bakarwal community of J&K has started moving ahead in every sector of development immensely. But only the settled Gujjars Bakarwals were benefitted from this Schedule Tribe status and they have started growing educationally, socially, economically and politically. Meanwhile, the unsettled Nomadic Gujjars Bakarwals still lag behind in many spheres and are backward educationally, socially, politically and economically since they couldn’t get the benefits of Schedule Tribe Status.
(The author is a Gujjar Leader)
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