The J&K Socially Economically Backward Classes Commission constituted by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir in 2020 in its report has recommended to renaming the group 'Pahari Speaking People' (who speak Pothowari dialects fall under Lahnda Western Punjabi) with the substitute nomenclature 'Pahari Ethnic Group' in terms of provisions that grant Reservation to them, as PSP, under J&K Reservation Rules 2004 and accordingly, the J&K government has issued instructions on October 19, 2022, and replaced 'Pahari Speaking People' with 'Pahari Ethnic Group' ,[8] which tends to identify them as an ethnic group to be brought under the purview of the Schedule of Tribes under the Constitution of India.[9][10]
Scheduled Tribes status granted Pahari Ethnic Group
ST status was granted to Pahari Speaking People' (who speak Pothowari dialects fall under Lahnda Western Punjabi) through an Act passed by Parliament. On 26 July 2023, the bill to add Pahari Ethnic Group along with the Paddari Tribe, Koli and Gadda Brahman in the existing list of scheduled tribes in Jammu and Kashmir was introduced in the Lok Sabha.[11] The bill was taken into consideration on February 6, 2024, and was passed the same day.[12] The bill was further passed from the Rajya Sabha on February 9.[13] The Act of Parliament received the President's Assent on the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Act, 2024. A gazette notification in this regard was issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice states on 12 February 2024.[14]
According to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), all of Western Pahari languages, except for Dogri, are under either definitely endangered or critically endangered category.[15] None of these languages, except for Dogri, have any official status.
The Pahari people are mainly referred to two groups:
Speakers of Lahnda[21] dialects including Pahari–Pothwari in Azad Kashmir and Hindko. The dialects of the Pahari-Pothwari language complex cover most of the territory of Jammu and Azad Kashmir.[22] People of Azad Kashmir despite not being ethnic Kashmiris possess a strong sense of Kashmiri national identity that overrides linguistic identification with closely related groups outside Azad Kashmir,[23] such as the Pothwari speaking Punjabis of the Pothohar region.[24] The dialects are also spoken further east across the Line of Control into the Pir Panjal mountains in Indian Jammu and Kashmir. The population, estimated at 1 million,[25] is found in the region between the Jhelum and Chenab rivers: most significantly in the districts of Poonch and Rajouri, to a lesser extent in neighbouring Baramulla and Kupwara,[26] and also – as a result of the influx of refugees during the Partition of 1947 – scattered throughout the rest of Jammu and Kashmir.[27]
The Gujjars who have been already listed as Scheduled Tribes in Jammu and Kashmir in 1991 are opposing grant of ST status and other similar benefits to the Pahari Speaking People of J&K with the argument that such a step will dilute the entire Scheduled Tribe status. They (Gujjars) are constantly countering the move to grant Scheduled Tribe status to 'Pahari Speaking People' on the basis of (Pahari) Language.[28][29][30][31] The Gujjars are of the view that such a move will dilute their share of reservation in the UT of J&K.
In order to oppose the demand of ST to Paharis, the tribal Gujjar youth started foot March in November 2022.After 21 days struggle the Joint Action Committee was invited by the Home Minister of India in New Delhi for a dialogue.[32][33][34][35][36][37]
The Gujjars argue that majority of Pahari Speaking People belongs to upper class Muslims such as Syeds, Qazi, Per, Beg, Raja, Malik, Mirza, Khan, Mughals, Rajputs, Kashmiris and upper caste Sikhs, Hindus including Brahmins, Rajputs, Mahajans and they do not face any social stigma or caste inequality like Gujjars, Bakerwals, Gaddis and other tribes of Jammu and Kashmir do.[38][39][40][41][42][43][44] They said as per 2011 census the literacy rate among Scheduled Tribes of J&K is 50% and 59% in STs across India but in Pahari Speaking People especially in Poonch, Rajouri districts it is 68% and if Paharis entered into ST status the existing tribes will get affected adversely.[45][46][47][48] The Gujjars further arguing that the 'Pahari Speaking People' do not belong to a Socially, Economically and Educationally backward class like Gujjars, Bakarwals, Gaddis, Sippis and Shina who are in ST list of J&K. Gujjars are opposing ST status to Paharis as they believe Paharis are already enjoying 4% reservation under Actual Control Line habitat, 10% under RBA, 4% under Other Social Castes, 10% under Economically Weaker Section, 4% under Pahari Speaking besides 48% General Category and now they are trying to get the share in 10% granted to Gujjars under ST.[49][50][51][52]
Meanwhile, a number of organisations of displaced communities consisting of West Pakistan refugees who were exiled during partition now residing primarily in Jammu have been struggling and demanding ST status for them as they are also Paharis.[53][54] In addition to this, they are urging for a share in 4% reservations in Govt Jobs/ Admissions granted to 'Pahari Speaking People' as these communities belongs to same clans of PSP and they speaks Pahari dialects fall under Lahnda Group.[55][56]
Establishment of Pahari Board & grant of 4% Reservation to PSP
The Government of Jammu and Kashmir has established an advisory board for the development of Pahari Speaking People in 1989 for the welfare of Pahari People.[57][58] Nevertheless, core demands – like that for a Scheduled Tribe status and the associated affirmative action benefits – were not met (until 2024). In 1989, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir recommended to the Union Government of India that the Paharis of Kashmir should be granted such status,[59][60] and this recommendation was reiterated in 1994 by the governor of Jammu and Kashmir and the chief ministers of the state.[61][62]
In April 2020, the government of Jammu and Kashmir granted to "Pahari-speaking people" four percent reservation for direct recruitment and admission and distribution of seats in professional institutions.[63] This has sparked disagreements between representatives of the two unrelated "Pahari" communities – those of eastern Kashmir and those of mountains of western Jammu – as to which group of the two constitutes the "genuine Paharis" with a more disadvantaged status, and therefore stronger claim to receiving the benefits of the reservation policy.[64][65]
The demand for the inclusion of 'Pahari (Himachali)' under the Eight Schedule of the Constitution, which is supposed to represent multiple Pahari languages of Himachal Pradesh, had been made in the year 2010 by the state's Vidhan Sabha. There has been no positive progress on this matter since then even when small organisations are striving to save the language. Due to political interest, the language is currently recorded as a dialect of Hindi, even when having a poor mutual intelligibility with it and having a higher mutual intelligibility with other recognised languages like Dogri.[66]
In October 2021 a PIL was also filed in the Himachal Pradesh High Court which re-ignited the quest for recognizing Pahari (Himachali) or Western Pahari dialect chain spoken in Himachal as one of official languages of Himachal Pradesh.The petitioners through the PIL also requested the court to direct the State government to promote Pahari (Himachali) and other local languages as the medium of instruction in primary and middle-level schools as per the National Education Policy, 2020. As well as also prayed that the court direct the state government to include Pahari (Himachali) language as a separate category for the 2021 census of India and simultaneously undertake an awareness campaign to create awareness amongst the masses, especially the youth of the State who speak Pahari (Himachali), to get it marked as their mother tongue in the upcoming Census. A bench of Chief Justice Mohammad Rafiq and Justice Sabina while disposing off the PIL stated,“The direction as has been prayed for, cannot be issued to the State Government until and unless it is established on record that the Pahari (Himachali) language has its own script and that a common Pahari dialect is spoken throughout the State of Himachal Pradesh. We, however, set the petitioner at liberty to approach the Department of Language Art & Culture to the Government of Himachal Pradesh with his demand for undertaking research to promote a common Pahari (Himachali) nuclear language structure and nuclear Tankri script. If the petitioner approaches the respondents-State through its Additional Chief Secretary (Language Art & Culture) to the Government of Himachal Pradesh) for the prayer made in the Civil Writ Public Interest Litigation, it would be for the said authority to consider the same in accordance with the law.” Additionally, the petition had emphasised that Sanskrit, which is the second official language of the state, had only 936 speakers according to the 2011 census and Pahari (Himachali) dialect chain which is spoken by more than 40 lakh people was being neglected and has not been made an official language even after having so many speakers.[67][68]
^A 2000 estimate reported in Ethnologue (2017) harvtxt error: no target: CITEREFEthnologue2017 (help)
^Singh 2014, p. 18 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFSingh2014 (help); Bhat 2014, ch. 1, pp. 38, 40 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFBhat2014 (help)
^Lists of regions and settlements are found in Bhat (2014, ch. 1, pp. 40, 43–44) harvtxt error: no target: CITEREFBhat2014 (help) and Kour (2014) harvtxt error: no target: CITEREFKour2014 (help).
