Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 19: All Tribal Coordination Committee (ATCC) today alleged that concerted attempts aiming at the exclusion of Jammu Muslims were being made.
Addressing a press conference at the Kashmir Press Club, ATCC’s Chairman Talib Hussain said that the Gujjar and Bakerwal community were an inseparable part of the J&K’s political, social, linguistic milieu and continuous assaults are being made on the identities of these communities.
“Assaults are being made on our identity and existence through a sustained and communally designed campaign. Historically, Jammu has already witnessed demographic engineering in November 1947 when the Muslim Majority character of the region was altered within a fortnight,” he said.
“To thwart communal designs to disarm the Gujjar community politically, electorally, linguistically and culturally, all assaults have to be resisted,” he said.
Talib said that J&K is the only region with cultural and linguistic diversity, and added that it is being manipulated in J&K and sold politically in mainland India.
“We strongly condemn the marginalization of our language and disempowerment of Gojjri Pahadi by the present regime,” he said.
Talking on the plight of Jammu Muslims, he said, that Muslims of Jammu region have historically shown resilience.
He said that in July 2018, after the collapse of the government, eviction notices were served to many Gujjar families in Jammu and in December 2018, an anti-encroachment drive was carried out against Gujjar families in Jammu.
He said that Gujjars and bakarwals have always contributed to the efforts of Jammu and Kashmir. “Now they are being treated as enemy informers. Also, since they rear cattle including bovines, they are targeted on that ground as well.”
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