SRINAGAR: Members of the Sikh community and civil society on Sunday held a Jammu Punjabi Morcha in Jammu, demanding the restoration of Punjabi as an official language of Jammu and Kashmir and action on pending issues concerning the community.
The protest was organised to press for the restoration of Punjabi’s official-language status, which the organisers said was in place before 2019. Participants also extended support to an ongoing indefinite sit-in over the demand.
A delegation comprising YES founder Sardar Pardeep Singh, youth political leader Angad Singh Khalsa, Advocate Jasmeet Singh, Sikh Youth Federation J&K president Gurkirat Singh and Mohammad Jasarath Khan of Bhim Army participated in the demonstration.
Addressing the gathering, the participants criticised what they described as continued neglect of Punjabi and issues concerning the Sikh community in J&K. They said Punjabi represented their identity, heritage and mother tongue and called for immediate restoration of its official status.
The organisers also sought concrete measures to address the community’s pending demands.
They warned that the agitation would be intensified through democratic and peaceful means if their demands were not addressed.
