Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 30: Up in arms against purported remark by National Conference Provincial president Nasir Aslam Wani against Paharis, Gujjars and Bakerwals, an association of Pahari youth has appealed the community to boycott NC.
“We appeal to the entire Pahari community to boycott National Conference as a mark of protest against Nasir Aslam Wani’s derogatory remarks,” said Fayaz Mirza, provincial president of Pahari Youth Cultural and Welfare Forum, while talking to media persons, here today.
Alleging that the NC leader in a recent remark had termed Paharis, Gujjars and Bakerwals as criminals, Mr Fayaz Mirza rued that the derogatory comment was royalty of the community’s traditional loyalty towards the party. “The Paharis have remained backbone of the National Conference since its inception in 1938 but the party, which remained in power here for decades, only exploited us as mere vote bank,” he lamented.
Claiming that Paharis were innocent and backward class in Jammu Kashmir, who were fighting for their rights peacefully since long time, Fayaz Mirza said that the NC leader’s remark has hurt ethnic psyche of the community.
“There is no historical record which portrays Paharis as criminal and if Nasir Wani has any, he should come out with that,” he said and asked all the National Conference associated Pahari leaders to clarify their stand over the issue and come out openly against the defamatory mark levied on the community by their `own’ party.
“We are peace loving community and believe in harmony but a lesson must be taught to the National Conference so that no other leader could dare to speak against us in future,” stressed the Pahri leader, who was accompanied by Sahil Sharma (vice-president), Aamir Sohail, Tabarak Ali, Tanveer, Ghulam Geelani, Zahir Mirza, Chandar Prakash, Shahid Mirza and Zaffar Iqbal.
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