Massive Protest in Kathua!

Displaced Persons Demand ST-2 Status and Immediate Issuance of Pahari Certificates

rc sharma
Kathua, Jul 09: In a significant show of strength and unity, the Jammu Kashmir Sharnarthi Action Committee (JKSAC) District Kathua unit staged a massive demonstration today, vociferously demanding the grant of Schedule Tribe-2 (ST-2) status and the immediate issuance of Pahari Speaking Category certificates to the displaced persons (DPs) of 1947 from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).
Hundreds of determined protestors, hailing from Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Udhampur, Reasi, Ramban, Doda, and Kishtwar districts of the Jammu province, assembled at Shahidi Park, Kathua, before marching in unison towards the office of the Deputy Commissioner, raising spirited slogans for the redressal of their long-pending and legitimate demands.
The protest was spearheaded by JKSAC President Gurdev Singh, accompanied by prominent senior leaders Bhushan Sharma, Giani Harjeet Singh, Dr Paramjit Sharma, Darshan Kumar, Master Tej Ram, and Ashok Sharma. The agitated DPs lambasted the district administration for its deliberate inaction and failure to issue ST-2 certificates to genuine applicants despite the existence of clear-cut government rules.
While addressing the gathering, Gurdev Singh lambasted the authorities for creating unnecessary confusion and hurdles in the issuance of Pahari Speaking Category certificates. He underlined that the then Minister for Social Welfare, Ms. Sakina Ittoo, in her explicit reply dated April 8, 2025, had categorically clarified in the Legislative Assembly that the place of residence is not a criterion for issuing ST-2 certificates to the Pahari-speaking community.
Singh further emphasized that the DPs of 1947 were forced to flee their ancestral homes under brutal attacks by Pakistani raiders and were temporarily rehabilitated by the then J&K Government in various districts of the Jammu region. This led to their families, sharing the same bloodline, culture, and language, being scattered across the province. He pointed out that despite submitting all requisite documents and fulfilling codal formalities, the designated authorities in these districts are unlawfully denying the rightful certificates.
Singh highlighted that the recent inclusion of the Pahari ethnic group under the Scheduled Tribe category through the Constitution (J&K) Scheduled Tribe Order (Amendment) Act, 2024, mandates the extension of ST-2 benefits to these displaced persons as well. He questioned the administration’s arbitrary discrimination, noting that DPs residing in Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Udhampur, Reasi, Ramban, Doda, and Kishtwar share the same linguistic, cultural, and ethnic identity as their brethren in Rajouri and Poonch, who have already been accorded ST benefits.
Reiterating the community’s decades-long struggle for justice, Gurdev Singh made a fervent appeal to the Chief Minister and the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir to intervene without further delay. He urged them to issue clear directions to all competent district authorities to immediately grant ST-2/Pahari Speaking Category certificates to all eligible displaced persons, thereby ending the unwarranted confusion and administrative apathy.
He concluded by warning that any further neglect of these legitimate demands will only intensify their struggle and the community will not hesitate to escalate their agitation for their rightful recognition and rehabilitation.