Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 16: As the BJP-led Union Government at the Centre has granted Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Pahari tribe of Jammu and Kashmir, it is time for the two senior leaders of the National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to fulfill their promise by joining the BJP.
During their meeting with the Union Home Minister Amit Shah on October 4, 2022, two prominent leaders of PDP and National Conference namely Tazeem Dar and Shafqat Mir respectively had promised to join BJP if ST status is granted to Pahari.
PDP district president Rajouri Tazeem Dar and senior National Conference leader Shafqat Mir had given the assurance to Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a meeting at Jammu.
The two leaders were part of a Pahari community delegation that called on the Home Minister shortly after his arrival on a three-day tour of Jammu and Kashmir in October 2022.
During their interaction with the Home Minister as a delegation of Pahari-speaking people, both the leaders announced that they would join BJP after Union Gov > Tazeem Dar and Shafqat Mir had promised to join BJP if ST status is granted to Pahari.
> Prominent Pahari leader and former minister Mushtaq Bukhari, NC face in Poonch district had left the party over the issue.
As reported earlier, BJP is focussing on prominent Pahari Muslims of Poonch and Rajouri districts to make inroads in these two Muslim majority districts of Jammu province.
Keeping in view the deep ethnic divide among Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Paharies in this mountainous belt, BJP is now focussing on Pahari Muslims to further expand its base in this belt. Already a prominent Pahari face of Rajouri, Mohammad Iqbal Malik has joined the party and won the election as a DDC member on a BJP ticket.
BJP has supported ST status for Paharies - a community that is a dominant force in Poonch, Rajouri districts of Jammu province, and Baramulla and Kupwara districts in Kashmir Valley.
This community has been demanding ST status for decades. There are 9.6 lakh Pahari community people in J&K.
A prominent Pahari leader and former minister Mushtaq Bukhari, who was the face of the NC in the Poonch district, left the party over the issue. Although he has not joined the BJP yet, he is in touch with party leaders. | 