SRINAGAR: The National Conference‑led Government has decided to introduce a bill in the 2027 budget session of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly to declare Punjabi, Gojri, and Pahari as official languages of the Union Territory.
NC’s Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Shammi Oberoi said he had made a commitment to the people on behalf of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that Punjabi would be included in the list of official languages.
“We have decided to adopt Punjabi, Gojri, and Pahari languages as official languages,” Oberoi said.
On Wednesday, Oberoi met Sikh Sangat and representatives of various Gurdwara Prabandhak Committees and assured them that Punjabi language would be adopted under the Official Languages Act of the UT.
Following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, Parliament enacted the Jammu & Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020, which declared Kashmiri, Dogri, Urdu, Hindi, and English as the official languages of the Union Territory. The Act also mandated that the Administrator of the UT shall make special efforts to promote and develop Gojri, Punjabi, and Pahari languages through institutional mechanisms such as the Academy of Art, Culture and Languages.
It is worth mentioning that the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019 empowers the UT Assembly to enact legislation for the adoption of any language as an official language of the Union Territory. (KNO)
