Excelsior Correspondent
RAJOURI, Sept 23: Jammu and Kashmir Pahari People’s Movement (JKPPM) had threatened the Coalition Government in the State as well as People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to teach them a lesson in the coming Assembly elections through their power of votes if some concrete step is not taken to grant them Schedule Tribe (ST) status.
In a convention of JKPPM held here, the speakers demanded ST status for them for which they have been struggling for last 18 years but got nothing except assurances from successive Governments in the State.
The president of JKPPM, Amjad Ali, said that they would wait for few more days and if some concrete step is not taken in this direction, they would start campaigning against the ruling coalition partners in the State, who have been befooling them for their political benefits.
Chief Executive of the Movement, Shahbaz Khan, said that State and Central Governments have been provoking them to start community war in the region and if such happens, it will take ugly turn in future. He hailed the statement of veteran Gujjar leader Mian Bashir Ahmed, who had favoured ST status to Paharis, but he criticized those Gujjar leaders who are unnecessarily opposing their demand.
In October 1991, the then Chief Minister of State, Dr Farooq Abdullah, had approached the Central Government in black and white and recommended to provide ST status to Paharis. Also on December 1993, the then Governor of the State, KV Krishna Rao, had written an official letter to the then Union Social Welfare Minister Sita Ram Kesri strongly recommending the same. Besides, various State and Central leaders during last 18 years, recommended the successive Central Governments to grant ST status to the Community, but despite all these recommendations, the Government turned deaf ear to this demand that had annoyed the Community.
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