Hakeem Junaid
Jammu, Oct 3 (KNB): The Sikh community in Jammu has intensified its demand for granting official language status to Punjabi in Jammu and Kashmir, with members of the community staging a peaceful protest at the Maharaja Hari Singh Statue in Jammu for the third consecutive day.
The protesters, under the banner of All J&K Sikh Sangat, have been seeking recognition of Punjabi as an official language, maintaining that the language has deep historical, cultural and social significance in Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking to Kashmir News Bureau (KNB), Taranjit Singh Tony, Chairman, Gurdwara Rani Talab Digiana, said that the community was seeking a clear resolution to what he described as a “one-line issue.”
“We need only one resolution for our one-line issue. We demand Punjabi official language status,” Tony said.
He said that members of the community have been holding a peaceful protest at the Maharaja Hari Singh Statue for the past three days and asserted that the protest would continue until their demand is addressed.
Calling Punjabi a language of harmony and brotherhood, Tony said, “Punjabi is the language of love and peace. It joins people and hearts.”
He also questioned what he described as a disparity between political outreach to the Punjabi community during elections and recognition of the language. Referring to election campaigns, Tony said, “During the elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah asked us Punjabis for votes while wearing pagdis. They love our votes but not our language.”
The protesters have appealed to the authorities to consider their demand and grant Punjabi official language status in Jammu and Kashmir. The agitation, they said, would remain peaceful and democratic.
The protesting Sikh representatives said they would continue to raise the issue until a concrete decision is taken on their demand.