Examiner Bureau | Batote:
A strong demand for granting Pahari status to the Chenab Valley was raised at a press conference held in Batote on Sunday under the chairmanship of former Batote councillor Shahrukh Bhatti.
Addressing the media, Bhatti welcomed the decision to grant Pahari status to the Rajouri-Poonch region, but said the people of the Chenab Valley should also receive equal consideration.
He argued that the Chenab Valley has its own distinctive mountainous geography, cultural heritage, social character and linguistic diversity, with a significant population living in remote and high-altitude areas.
“Just as the people of Rajouri-Poonch have been recognised under the Pahari category, the people of Chenab Valley also deserve equal consideration based on their geographical, social and cultural characteristics,” Bhatti said.
Bhatti clarified that the people of the Chenab Valley have no objection to the recognition granted to the Rajouri-Poonch region. Instead, he said, their demand was for equal recognition and consideration of the Chenab region.
He described the demand as a long-standing aspiration of the people and called for an inclusive approach that takes into account the region’s distinctive socio-cultural and geographical circumstances.
Bhatti appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to examine the demand seriously.
He urged the authorities to ensure that the issue is appropriately recommended and taken up during the forthcoming Assembly session.
According to Bhatti, a positive decision on the demand would address what he described as a long-standing concern among residents of the Chenab Valley and ensure that the region’s distinctive identity and circumstances receive due consideration.
Several prominent members of the local community attended the press conference, including former Sarpanch Jagdish Chand, former Block President Ata Zargar, former Naib Sarpanch Abdul Rashid, Kuldeep Singh and Shahir Lone, besides other community representatives.
The demand has brought renewed attention to the question of recognition and representation of the Chenab Valley, with its supporters seeking consideration on the basis of the region’s geographical, cultural, linguistic and social characteristics.
