Bintul Huda
Srinagar, July 28: The Sikhs in the union territory on Friday demanded the reservation of two seats in the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly besides the minority status of the community.
The move comes a day after the Centre moved a bill in the Parliament to reserve two seats for Kashmiri Pandits and one for PoK in the J&K Assembly.
Addressing a joint press conference here, the All Sikh Gurdwara Prabhandhak Committee Kashmir along with the United Sikh Kashmir Progressive Forum (UKSPF) and Sikh Student Federation (Mehta) highlighted the “long-standing difficulties” faced by Jammu & Kashmir’s Sikh community and also pressed for their demands for political participation and minority status.
Baldev Singh, Chairman of UKSPF, said the government recently proposed a bill in the Parliament to reserve two seats for Kashmiri Pandits and refugees in the legislative assembly while completely neglecting the representation of the Sikh community.
“With the Sikh community accounting for not more than 1.5 lakh of the total population, we have only been neglected by successive governments at the Centre and the state. We have been at a loss since the 1990s, compelled to move to different towns and cities, leaving behind the estate and suffering economically. Despite the continuous suffering, no rehabilitation or compensation has been provided to us,” he said.
Singh expressed his disappointment at the “mediocre response” received from the Central government despite presenting memoranda on various occasions. “First, Punjabi was not recognised as a language in the valley; still, we were hopeful about the reservations, but that too has been denied to us,” he said. He made an appeal to all the prominent political leaders of the valley as well as the other communities of Jammu & Kashmir to stand by the demands of Sikhs.
Harjeet Singh, chairman of the Sikh Student Federation (Mehta), further took charge of the conference, stating that the Sikh community needs minority status more than before. “We have been continuously highlighting the issue of employment and reservations, but till date, we haven’t been provided with a proper resolution,” he said. He urged the government to at least reserve two to three seats for the Sikhs in the legislative assembly so that the community can gain their “rightful place” in the socio-economic fabric within the community.
While speaking to Rising Kashmir, Harjeet said, “If the government is not holding back in giving representation to the marginalised communities of J&K, including Kashmiri Pandits, Gujjars, and Paharis, by giving them reserved constituencies, job reservations, ST status, and even rehabilitation packages, then why is the Sikh community being isolated and laid back?”
As the conference came to a close, the representatives requested that the authorities fulfill the Sikh community’s demands for “inclusivity, justice, and equitable representation”.
