Excelsior Correspondent
POONCH Oct 20: Maintaining that Gujjars and Bakerwals constitute a sizable number of State’s population, Shamsher Hakla Poonchi a prominent Gujjar leader and a scholar today said that no solution to Kashmir issue was possible without taking the community into confidence.
In a statement issued here, he said that Kashmir does not belong to a particular section of people but Gujjars and Bakerwals are also the original inhabitants of the State who have played a key role in safeguarding its borders and hence an important party to Kashmir issue.
Hakla while expressing concern over prevailing unrest in the Valley and killing of innocent people urged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring about a solution of Kashmir tangle so that an early and lasting peace in the State be restored and the militancy is also brought to an end.
Hakla said, excluding Ladakh and Kargil district the Gujjar and Bakerwal community resides in 20 district of the State. The needs and the problems of Gujjars and Bakerwals are of peculiar nature, that the culture and language of Gujjars and Bakerwals is different and as such the community has a distinct identity. The population of Gujjar and Bakerwal community in the State is over 34 lakh who mostly reside in far-flung, hilly and mountain areas as well as near forest and on the LoC. The community is economically, socially, educationally and politically backward but they are nationalists by core.
He said, in the process of determining the fate of the State the opinion of Gujjars and Bakerwals should also be considered. Hakla said it is imperative on the part of Government to invite Gujjars in discussions otherwise no decision would be acceptable by this community.
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