By News Agency of Kashmir
Jammu : Gujjars Welfare Shaba, Samba has strongly condemned the Pahari Leaders who according to them are opposing tooth and nail the political preservation in favour of schedule tribes of Jammu and Kashmir State, particularly Gujjars and Bakarwals who were declared as schedule tribe in the state in April 1991.
While addressing a press conference here today, the president of the welfare Shaba Haji Hasham Ali said that these ‘so called Pahari Leaders’ wanted to see that ST status of Gujjars and Bakarwals is diluted and want status quo anti position as was prevailing prior to 1990.
Haji Hasham Ali further said that the Gujjars welfare Sabha strongly opposed the move by the state/central government for grant of ST status to so called Pahari speaking people who are demanding ST status on language basis.
Haji Hasham Ali further stated that there is no community as Pahari in the Jammu and Kashmir state rather the entire state is Pahari and Paharis are not defined anywhere in the state.
Haji Aziz Din and Haji Allah Rahim, Sr. Vice president and president of the Gujjars were Sabha respective while taking to media persons said that the term Paharis was coined by some valley centric leaders of a particular party who also opposed ST status to Gujjars and Bakarwals and now they want to undue the benefits accruing to schedule tribe of Jammu and Kashmir.
They further said that Gujjars were declared as backwards by three commissions constituted by the government of India time to time to find out the backwardness of the community but no commission has recommended Paharis as backward community to get the ST status. The Sabha leaders warned both state and central government that if Paharis were declared as schedule tribe in the state, the schedule tribes of the state would launch an agitation in the state and will not support any government which supports the cause of Paharis.
The Sabha strongly opposed political parties in the state which have opposed political reservation to the Gujjars. The Sabha leaders said that they will teach a lesson to those political parties in the next election and appealed STs of the state to get united and fight anti STs Forces in the state.
The Sabha leaders thanked the Chief Minister for taking historic decisions taken in the Advisory board meeting and have urged the Chief Minister to implement them at the earliest.
The Sabha leasers have further urged the chief minister to amend SRO 294 and do justice with the Bakarwals community of the state and restore the benefit available to the reserved categories under SRO 126 of 1994.
They further demanded Permanent settlement of nomad Gujjars and Bakarwals, Providing of infrastructure in the Gujjars hotels in the state, Establishment of Gujjars hotels in newly created districts of the state.