Srinagar : Hundreds of People belonging to Pahari community from various tehsil, areas of Ganderbal District Friday demanded their inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category while alleging that the successive Governments have ignored their decade-old demand.
Scores of people under the banner of J&K Pahari Welfare Front (JKWF), gathered at ChuntwaliwarLar Ganderbal raised slogans in favour of their demand which they said has remained unfulfilled from past several years.
Syed NazakatKhaleefa, who heads the JKWF said that they have been forced to protest as the Government has been for the last several years ignoring their demand which he said is their basic Constitution right.
“Residents from several tehsil’s of district Ganderbal have reached here to remind the Central Government of its assurances and promises made with them concerning the inclusion of the people of Pahari community in the ST category; several ministers, Governors which J&K had have accepted our issues and made the recommendations accordingly, but there has not been any headway in this regard so far,” Khaleefa said.
President Pahari welfare front Syed Nazak Shah said that they have been raising their demand of including their community in the ST category since 1969, “however, since then, we have been ignored, pushed around and discriminated,ST is our right and should be extended to us as we will live in far-off and backward areas,” he said.
The protestors demanded that their issue must be addressed without any further delay failing which they will be forced to come out on the streets.
“We have started the campaign today, but we will not stop here, we will make sure that protests by the people from Pahari community, seeking inclusion in the ST category, will be held in every district headquarter of the Valley in coming days,” they added.
