हिंदी
Detailed Discussion on Cabinet Sub Committee to review Reservation and Action Plan Finalized
Jammu, Dec 20, 2024
A high-level meeting of the Jammu and Kashmir Pahari Cultural and Welfare Forum was held on Friday in the winter capital, Jammu. The meeting saw the participation of prominent political and social figures, intellectuals, and youth from the Pahari community, setting aside political ideologies. The session was presided over by senior forum member and former MLA of Kalakote, Ashok Kumar Sharma. The gathering included former cabinet ministers, former legislators, lawyers, and esteemed social figures associated with the forum.
The primary agenda of the meeting was to discuss the government’s three-member cabinet sub-committee, which was formed to review reservations, as well as pending cases in the High Court and other key issues. The participants deliberated for more than four hours, during which they presented valuable suggestions on how to defend the constitutional rights and interests of the Pahari community.
During the meeting, it was made clear to the government of Jammu and Kashmir, led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, that the reservation granted to the Pahari community should not be altered in any way. The forum highlighted that the “ST” (Scheduled Tribe) reservation granted to the Pahari ethnic group, along with four other tribes, was based on thorough consideration of all aspects, facts, and statistical data. Therefore, there is no scope for any revision in this matter.
The forum emphasized that if any adjustments are to be made in the reservation for the Pahari community, they should be proportionate to the population ratio. Such adjustments can only be justified through a new population census. Any changes before that would be unacceptable. It was also asserted that any move detrimental to the cause of the Pahari community would not bode well for the National Conference-led government.
To strengthen advocacy on these issues, an 18-member interim committee was formed. This committee includes former MLC Mohammad Rashid Qureshi, former MLA Ashok Kumar Sharma, former Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Council Jahangir Hussain Mir, former MLC Ravinder Sharma, former MLA Shah Mohammad Tantray, former MLA Kuldeep Sharma, prominent social figure Iqbal Hussain Kazmi, Congress leader Sajjad Tariq, son of Mushtaq Bukhari, Syed Owais Bukhari, and Kaushal Kumar Bali.
Additionally, a group of young lawyers was also included in the committee. These lawyers are Advocate Zaid Sarfraz Malik, Advocate Altaf Hussain Janjua, Advocate Nadeem Rafiq Khan, Advocate Zamir Muslim Qureshi, Advocate Wajahat Kazmi, Advocate Sikandar Khan, and Advocate Bhuveshay SUdan. This committee has been authorized to take necessary measures to defend the Pahari cause on political and legal fronts.
After the meeting, Mohammad Rashid Qureshi addressed the media and stated, “Several crucial issues related to the Pahari community were discussed during the meeting, particularly the three-member cabinet sub-committee formed to review the reservation. An action plan was finalized accordingly. We also deliberated on ways to make the forum more active in highlighting the problems and demands of the Pahari community.”
He further stated that this is an interim committee, and its membership will be expanded. Distinguished personalities from Kashmir province, as well as from district and tehsil levels, will be included in this committee. It was also decided that the committee members would hold meetings with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the chairperson of the cabinet sub-committee, Sakina Yatoo, Leader of the Opposition Sunil Sharma, and Pradesh Congress Committee President Tariq Hamid Karra.
The meeting was also attended by Madan Lal Narod, Sardar Waseem Khan, Advocate Rahim Jatt, Satish Ponchi, Sumit Sharma, and Prakshit, among others.
