SRINAGAR, J&K—On April 20, the Jammu & Kashmir government came up with 4% reservation for Pahari Speaking People in direct recruitment and admissions in professional colleges while notifying amendments in Jammu and Kashmir Recruitment Rules 2005. However, insufficient clarification about the parameters to be used for identifying the Pahari Speaking People (PSP) has left the Kashmiri Sikh in an extreme confusion and they are feeling a fear of exclusion from PSP category despite being natives of Kashmir.
“Pahari Speaking People (PSP) means the persons belonging to Pahari Community, clan or tribe having distinct cultural, ethnic and linguistic identity to be identified in such manner as may be prescribed and by such Authority as may be appointed by the Government in this behalf,” reads an addition of a new clause xi (a) in Rule 2 of Jammu and Kashmir Recruitment Rules 2005.
It is learnt that the authority to allot PSP category certificates has been given to Tehsildars but the parameters to be used for issuing these certificates has not come to fore yet.
Seeking clarification from the government, Kashmir resident Kulbir Badal has questioned “whether Sikhs who speak Pahari and Pahari is their mother tongue, but use Gurmukhi as script for writing Pahari are entitled to get the reservation?”
Citing a circular issued by the ‘State Advisory Board for the Development of Pahari Speaking People in Jammu and Kashmir’ in 2010, Kulbir Singh said the Sikhs residing in Kashmir as well as in the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch were recognized as Pahari Speaking People in 2010.
Sukhbir Singh Khalsa, a renowned Kashmiri Sikh teacher cum social worker, said the new notification is unclear as a part of it says people who have a different ethnicity, or belong to a tribe, etc. are entitled to get this benefit, but in another section it is written that who speak Pahari will get the reservation, so government needs to clear it first who are entitled to get it. “I have written a letter to Principal Secretary, Social Welfare (J&K) to make it clear whether Sikhs are part of it or not,” he added.
“Sikhs of Jammu and Kashmir are part and parcel of Pahari community. Pahari is their mother tongue and they use Gurmukhi script to write it. As per linguistic, Pahari is not an independent language, instead it is a sub-dialect of Punjabi and that’s why Sikhs register Punjabi as their mother tongue in the census. Pahari in itself is not a language, but a sub-dialect of Punjabi like Majhi, Malwai etc. So, there is no question why Sikhs used to say Punjabi as their mother tongue as they have firm belief that Pahari is a sub-dialect of Punjabi,” said Sukhbir Singh Khalsa.
“The Pahari language is spoken by Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and Christians living in UT of J&K. So, we urge the LG Grish Chandra Murmu to include all Pahari speaking people that are still left behind,” Sukhbir Singh further said.
It is pertinent to note here that the Pahari language doesn’t have any particular script like Gurmukhi for Punjabi, Devanagari for Hindi etc.
Another Kashmir resident Sikh Angad Singh said the Kashmiri Sikhs were going to face discrimination in the new reservation policy of J&K government. “We, the Kashmiri Sikhs, always stood against government’s oppression so now it seems like people in power are taking revenge from us,” he said while seeking clarification from the government.
Geet Kaur, a female Sikh activist from North Kashmir, said that almost all Sikhs of J&K speak Pahari but write it in Gurmukhi and Pahari is their mother tongue. “We have faced discrimination from all earlier governments so now we demand this quota as living in a disputed area like Kashmir is not easy for us and that too as a micro-minority. At least, we should be given this quota to ease our lives here. We want justice,” she said.
Organize yourselves under one banner. To get your rights fight constitutionally, politically and through judicial means. Education is key for freedom. Strive for highest education for youth.
when will Sikhs realise all these troublemaking by govt is because we supporting kaum who terrorised world, afghan Sikhs, bombed Gurduara twice, lied to Guru Gobind Singh about safe departure from Anandpur..list goes on of how they caused trouble, mostly to Sikhs, even those who worked in dubai, to me as neighbor, my parents as neighbors, so much troublemaking, jadoo to this day, and only Gurbani has saved me from losing life to their musalman jadoo jinn Jio🙏 Jago Sikho🙏🙏🙏🙏 if they kind, only due to ulterior motive. why Sikhs ok with musalman akhar in Nankana Sahib, above Gurmukhi, but we say beinsaf when same in street signs in Punjab?🙏
Only Rehitvaan Khalsa Sikhs who are beloved of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib worthy of our support💞🙏 Only Gurmukhi should be our language, and only Gurbani degree should be our education Jio, all else is kurr, that we CANNOT TAKE WITH OUR JEEV WHEN WE DIE🙏🙏🙏🙏 bhul chuk muaf, not supporting hind or any kaum but Khalsa, meri jaan ki jaan as is to Sachey Patshah🙏💞, afghan Sikh lives in danger because of musalman terror, because we have no home even in Punjab, being busy supporting others, who were not bothered during 3 days Sikhs butchered in 1984, which musalman or musalman leader supported Sikhs then and today in afghan Sikhs issue Jio🙏?
We should find island to purchase; call our home, then we have equal rights in all aspect, and mostly, freedom to live in rehit🙏
We are Kashmir Sikh people we speak Pahari language and we are in Micro Minority in Kashmir so we need exclusively 4%reservation….
Kirpa Vahiguroo EK TUHI Jio🙏
Do Sukhmani Sahib Paath, and benti ardas, but MUST REMEMBER VAHIGUROO, ATEY REHIT, THEREAFTER, because dukh IS dharu, so we remember Vahiguroo Naam atey Khandey Batey Ki Pahul only save us from narak here atey after death🙏bhul chuk muaf Vahiguroo kirpa so Sikh kaum Naam laha pyar vs talk talk talk🙏or maya
bhul chuk muaf Vahiguroo, if my previous reply hurt, but I realise being at a few Gurduara 3 day Akhand Path, that our kaum dukh our own fault, for spending every free time at Akhand Path to talk till late night, get up late, no Nitnem (even amritdharis in usa), and straight to do langar preparation? So, when are giving our minds to Guru Pita Maharaj?
Then, we support musalman, other non-sikhs vs own, as kashmir or afghan Sikh kaum with current issues.
Why not research if this 4% exclusion will truly cause Sikhs obstacle in college entrance Jio?🙏 What about opting for Sikh run colleges outside Kashmir, like Punjab, Akal Academy, or Mata Gujri college or overseas ( least recommend because life and weather is tough>>https://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/studying-abroad/where-can-you-study-abroad-free) ?
kirpa Guru Nanak kashmir atey afghan atey sabna upar nadar baksheesh Jio🙏🌹