All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) has asked the state administration headed by Governor N N Vohra to take a cue from recent decisions taken with respect to the demands of Jat community and Patel community so that the status of minority is given to the Sikhs of Jammu & Kashmir.In a statement to KNS, APSCC Chairman Jagmohan Singh Raina said that the decisions taken about the demands made by Jat and Patel communities should serve as an eye-opener for the state administration. He said the Governor led state administration should not waste any more time and give minority status to Sikhs of the state.“The agitation by Jat community in Haryana and agitation by Patel community in Gujarat are enough to open the eyes of state administration with respect to the demands of Sikh community in Jammu & Kashmir. The National Minority Act needs to be implemented in letter and spirit in the state and hopefully this would be done soon,” said Raina.
The APSCC chairman while welcoming the pro-active stance of Governor on various public issues said that Vohra should take the demand of Sikhs for giving them minority status serious. He said concrete steps need to be taken in this regard adding that the political establishment has in the past ditched the community members.“Over the past so many years we have been demanding for extending National Commission for Minority Act for the notified communities in the state, but same has not been done so far. Former Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh and then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had assured delegations of Sikh Community of extending minority status to Sikhs in state but it was never done,” said Raina.The APSCC chairman said that he has written a letter to the Governor in which he has stressed upon him to take up the matter with the Government of India to promulgate the ordinance for extending National Commission for Minority Act to Jammu & Kashmir so that this minority community which has suffered for during the past 26 years of turmoil may get some respite. He said the intervention is more than needed since the community members have suffered agricultural and horticultural losses due to its forced urban migration from their native villages.
“During the last election campaign, senior stalwarts of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) including late Mufti Mohammed Sayeed had promised and in fact incorporated in the election manifesto to extend National Minority Act the State, but for 10 months the issue remained shelved,” said Raina.The APSCC chairman said that they had to defer the protest programme in support of their demands in Jammu province due to the sudden death of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, then CM of the state. He said that since Jammu, Poonch and Kathua districts have substantial number of Sikh population, the protests there can create a louder voice. He added that the programme would be charted out as and when the things become clear with respect to government formation in the state. (KNS)