Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 25: Choudhary Anam Hafeez, general secretary of Akhil Bhartiya Gujjar Mahasabha (ABGM), J&K, today appealed Governor SP Malik to issue ordinance before the upcoming Assembly elections for reservation of Assembly Segments for Gujjars and Bakarwals in the State.
In a statement issued here today, Hafeez said the political reservation was compulsory for the Gujjar-Bakarwal community of J&K who have been already given Scheduled Tribe (ST) status by Government of India in the year 1991.
“Gujjar Bakarwal community was granted ST status by the Government of India 27 years ago but the State government failed to grant them political reservation,” he added.
He said the population of Gujjar-Bakarwal community is over 34 lakh in J&K and the community mostly resides in far-flung, hilly and mountainous areas on Line of Actual Control in J&K. He said that the needs and problems of Gujjar-Bakarwals are quite different from other communities of the State.
“The Gujjar Bakarwal community is still politically, economically, socially and educationally lagging behind and backward. Some of the Gujjars-Bakarwals of J&K are settled, half-settled and unsettled and some of them live a nomadic life,” Hafeez said.
He said in J&K there are 31 State Assembly and two Lok Sabha segments which are inhabited by Gujjar Bakarwals but due to indifferent attitude of the successive State Governments, the Gujjar Bakarwal community stands deprived of the political reservation right.
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