A demand for granting Pahari status to the Chenab Valley was raised at a press conference in Batote on Sunday, chaired by former Batote councillor Shahrukh Bhatti.
Addressing reporters, Bhatti welcomed the decision to grant Pahari status to the Rajouri-Poonch region, but said that the people of the Chenab Valley should also be given equal consideration in view of the region’s distinct geographical, social, cultural and linguistic characteristics.
He said the Chenab Valley comprises predominantly mountainous terrain, with a significant population living in remote and high-altitude areas. According to him, the region has its own cultural and social identity and linguistic diversity, which merit appropriate recognition.
“Just as the people of Rajouri-Poonch have been recognised under the Pahari category, the people of Chenab Valley also deserve equal consideration based on their geographical, social and cultural characteristics,” Bhatti said.
Clarifying that the demand was not opposed to the recognition granted to Rajouri-Poonch, Bhatti said the people of Chenab Valley were seeking similar consideration for their own region.
He appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to examine the demand and take appropriate steps to consider it during the forthcoming Assembly session.
Bhatti described the demand as a long-standing aspiration of the people of the Chenab region and urged the government to adopt an inclusive approach while examining the area’s geographical, social, cultural and linguistic characteristics.
Former Sarpanch Jagdish Chand, former Block President Ata Zargar, former Naib Sarpanch Abdul Rashid, Kuldeep Singh, Shahir Lone and other prominent members of the community were present at the press conference.
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