JAMMU, Sep 29: The J&K Punjabi Bhasha Adhikar Sabha observed September 29 as a ‘Black Day’ for Punjabi-speaking people, organising a press conference followed by a protest demonstration in Jammu to demand official language status for Punjabi in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sabha Convenor Sandeep Singh Rissam led the programme, during which copies of the government order implementing the J&K Official Languages Act, 2020, were burnt in protest against the exclusion of Punjabi from the primary list of official languages.
Addressing the gathering, Sabha leaders said Punjabi has a long-standing cultural and historical presence in Jammu and Kashmir and had enjoyed constitutional recognition alongside Kashmiri and Dogri under the former Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir. They described its exclusion in 2020 as a matter of concern for the Punjabi-speaking community.
The speakers claimed that Punjabi is widely spoken and understood across several districts of J&K, including Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Baramulla, Srinagar, Poonch and Rajouri. They also recalled that Manish Tewari, then MP from Anandpur Sahib, had raised the issue of Punjabi’s exclusion in the Lok Sabha before the passage of the legislation in 2020.
The Sabha urged the present elected J&K Government to introduce a J&K Official Languages (Amendment) Bill in the Legislative Assembly to restore official language status to Punjabi. Leaders also referred to Section 47 of the J&K Reorganisation Act while making their demand.
Those who addressed the gathering included Gaurav Chopra, Ex-Corporator; Dr Baljeet Singh Raina, Pradhan, J&K Punjabi Lekhak Sabha; Prof Mohinder Pal Singh; Dr Ajit Singh; S. Gajan Singh, President, State Akali Dal, J&K; Sanjiv Luthra, MD, Luthra Academy; Karan Singh; Rahul Tandon; Harcharan Singh, Retd JE; Jatinder Singh Dimpa; Gurdev Singh; Manmeet Singh; and Vikas Sharma.
The speakers said September 29 would continue to be remembered as a significant day in the community’s campaign and appealed to the elected government to consider the demand for Punjabi’s official language status through the legislative process.