Srinagar, Aug 13: The All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) on Tuesday expressed disappointment and frustration over the lack of representation for the community in the upcoming assembly elections in Jammu & Kashmir.
Despite reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and Kashmiri Pandits, no provision has been made for the Sikh community, the APSCC Chairman Jagmohan Singh Raina said while addressing a press conference here. Other leaders of the organisation including S Ajeet Singh Mastana, Principal Naranjan Singh, Dr. Jaipal Singh, Gurdiyal Singh were present at the presser.
Raina said the APSCC met with the Delimitation Commission, headed by retired judge Ranjana Desai, twice, hoping to secure representation for the Sikhs. However, the commission framed assembly constituencies on a political basis, leaving Sikhs as the sole sufferers.
To counter this discrimination, the APSCC has decided to nominate Sikh candidates on assembly seats where the majority of the electorate are Sikhs. The organisation said it will discuss the probability of such seats and announce the names once finalized.
The APSCC has appealed to the majority community to support Sikh candidates and ensure political representation for the community. “We believe that since Sikhs have lived alongside the majority community through thick and thin, they should be supported in this regard,” Jagmohan said.
The organisation highlighted several issues affecting the Sikh community, including a government order that barred educated Sikh youth from applying for government jobs. It demanded that this order be probed and that the government take steps to address the issue.
The APSCC expressed concerns over the abrogation of Article 370, which, it said, has cast a shadow on the future of Punjabi language in Jammu & Kashmir. “We demand restoration of the Punjabi language and its recognition in education and other sectors,” the leaders said.
The Sikh Coordination Committee further called for sufficient power supply, streamlined water supply, growth of fisheries sector, and creation of a Kashmir Handicraft Centre to benefit the community. It urged for master planning of the tourism sector to provide employment opportunities to educated but unemployed youth.
APSCC leaders Jagmohan Singh Raina, S Ajeet Singh Mastana, Principal Naranjan Singh, Dr. Jaipal Singh, Gurdiyal Singh, and others appealed to the community members to be united and take action to address their issues. They urged the community to show door to politicians who have used them as voters for their own benefits without doing anything for their welfare.
