Bill To Include Punjabi, Gojri, Pahari In 2027
Srinagar | October, 15: The National Conference led Government has decided to introduce a bill in the 2027 budget session of the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly to declare Punjabi, Gojri, and Pahari as official languages of the Union Territory.
NC’s Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Shammi Oberoi on Thursday said that he had made a commitment to the people on behalf of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that Punjabi would be included in the list of official languages. “We have decided to adopt Punjabi, Gojri, and Pahari languages as official languages,” Oberoi said.
Officials said Oberoi met Sikh Sangat and representatives of various Gurdwara Prabandhak Committees on Wednesday, assuring them that Punjabi would be adopted under the UT’s Official Languages Act. Following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, Parliament enacted the Jammu & Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020, declaring Kashmiri, Dogri, Urdu, Hindi, and English as official languages while mandating special efforts to promote Gojri, Punjabi, and Pahari. The J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019 empowers the Assembly to enact legislation expanding this list.
