Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 12: Taking exception to the reports appeared in local press with regards to grant of ST status to ‘Pahari speaking people’ of the Jammu and Kashmir, the J&K Gujjar-Bakerwal Coordination Committee (Poonch –Rajouri Wing) members and leaders of ST/SC Communities of J&K today appealed Home Minister of India Amit Shah to intervene in the matter so that no linguistic group including ‘Pahari speaking people’ may enter into the ambit of Scheduled Tribes.
While addressing a press conference, here today, leaders of various communities, including Gujjars, Bakerwals, Gaddis, Sippis, Dalits (Scheduled Castes) stated that such a move will adversely affect the development of tribes of the Union Territory.
They said that the demand for grant of ST status – by Pahari-speaking people is based on the sole premises of linguistic identity. “Majority of ‘Pahari speaking people’ belongs to upper class Muslims like Syeds, Qazi, Per, Beg, Raja, Malik, Mirza, Khan, Mughals, Rajputs and upper caste Hindus which constitute Brahmins, Rajputs, Mahajans and others. Being developed classes of society they are far ahead in education, socio- economic status in comparison with STs of Jammu and Kashmir and being backward, STs will lose future in case Paharis enter into the ST category,” they explained.
The Gujjar-Bakerwal leaders further stated that Paharis are already enjoying 4 percent reservation under Actual Line of Control habitat, 10 percent under RBA, 4 percent under Other Social Castes, 10 percent under Economically Weaker Section, 4 percent under Pahari Speaking besides 48 percent General Category and now they are trying to share in 10 percent reservation with STs.
Claiming that the Pahari being affluent ruling upper class people do not suffer from the social stigma, Gujjar-Bakerwal leaders said that the demand of the Pahari speaking people was merely based on the premises of language while the dialect or the language is not any criteria to declare any class as Scheduled Tribe.
Those who addressed the press conference, included Ch Ishtiaq Bhatti- Gujjar Leader, Parvez Chouhan- Head Tribal Women Group; Prof G L Thapa, President JKRCEA; Sham Lal Basson, Corporator, President, Dalit Chetana Manch & General Secretary Guru Ravi Das Sabha; Mohinder Bhagat, Working General Secretary, JKRCEA, Romesh Kumar Bhasin, SE Retired, Surrender Devgowda, Xen Retd and Prof Kali Dass, General Secretary, AIBCU.
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