Leaders thank CM, Oberoi and Wani; appeals to PM to restore Punjabi in CBSE curriculum
Jammu Tawi, October 15: The All J&K Sikh Sangat’s Punjabi Morcha has decided to call off its agitation following a written assurance from the Jammu and Kashmir Government on the inclusion of Punjabi as an official language of the Union Territory. The government has decided to bring a Bill during the 2027 Budget Session of the J&K Legislative Assembly to accord official-language status to Punjabi, Gojri and Pahari, National Conference Rajya Sabha MP Shammi Oberoi said.
Addressing a thanksgiving press conference at the Morcha site near Maharaja Hari Singh Statue at Tawi Bridge, Jammu, Taranjit Singh Tony of the All J&K Sikh Sangat and Chairman of Gurdwara Rani Talab, Digiana, described the written assurance as a major milestone in the struggle to secure Punjabi’s rightful recognition. He said the achievement was the outcome of a sustained peaceful movement, community solidarity and the collective efforts of thousands of supporters.
Tony expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for the government’s assurance and commitment to take the matter forward. He also thanked Shammi Oberoi for his intervention and commitment to introducing the legislation in the forthcoming Assembly session, and Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani for facilitating dialogue and helping move the issue towards a positive resolution.
He acknowledged the role of Rajya Sabha MP Gurwinder Singh Oberoi in facilitating consultations that enabled the Sikh Sangat delegation to present its concerns before the government. Tony also paid special tribute to the delegation led by former minister Manjit Singh, along with all members who participated in the Srinagar consultations and represented the aspirations of the Punjabi-speaking community.
Oberoi, meanwhile, said the government had decided to adopt Punjabi, Gojri and Pahari as official languages of Jammu and Kashmir. On Wednesday, he met representatives of the Sikh Sangat and various Gurdwara Prabandhak Committees and assured them that Punjabi would be included under the Union Territory’s Official Languages Act.
Following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, Parliament enacted the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020, recognising Kashmiri, Dogri, Urdu, Hindi and English as the Union Territory’s official languages. The Act also provides for special efforts to promote and develop Gojri, Punjabi and Pahari through institutional mechanisms, including the Academy of Art, Culture and Languages.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, empowers the Union Territory’s Legislative Assembly to enact legislation for the adoption of additional official languages. The proposed Bill would extend official-language recognition to Punjabi, Gojri and Pahari, subject to its introduction and passage through the legislative process.
“Punjabi is not merely a language; it is our mother tongue, our heritage and an inseparable part of Jammu and Kashmir’s cultural identity,” Tony said, adding that the achievement belonged to everyone who stood united for the cause and believed Punjabi deserved its rightful place in the Union Territory.
He expressed profound gratitude to the Sikh Sangat, gurdwara management committees, religious institutions, youth organisations, educational bodies, social organisations, community leaders and individual supporters who extended solidarity throughout the agitation.
He also acknowledged the support of Jat organisations, Labana Samaj, Sikh youth bodies, political leaders, representatives of different communities, and Mandir and Masjid committees situated near the protest venue.
Tony extended special thanks to media organisations and journalists from Jammu, Kashmir, Punjab and other places for highlighting the Morcha’s demands. He said the movement had demonstrated that the preservation of Punjabi was not the concern of any single organisation or community but a shared responsibility towards Jammu and Kashmir’s linguistic and cultural heritage.
He emphasised that the Morcha had remained peaceful, democratic and constitutional throughout its campaign, crediting the unity and determination of its organisers, volunteers and supporters for strengthening the movement.
Appeal to PM to restore Punjabi in CBSE curriculum
While welcoming the Jammu and Kashmir Government’s assurance, Speakers at the occasion urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Education Ministry and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to restore Punjabi in the school curriculum wherever it had previously been available but was subsequently discontinued.
He said Punjabi-speaking students must have adequate opportunities to study their mother tongue and called for appropriate institutional support to ensure that the language continued to thrive among younger generations.
“Children must not be deprived of the opportunity to learn their mother tongue,” Tony said, stressing that official recognition alone was insufficient without educational opportunities and sustained efforts to preserve and promote the language.
He said the decision to call off the agitation followed the government’s written assurance and the positive outcome of discussions, while expressing hope that the commitment would be translated into concrete legislative action during the 2027 Budget Session.
“The Morcha may be called off following the government’s assurance, but our commitment to Punjabi language, culture and heritage will continue,” Tony said, adding that the Sikh Sangat would continue to work constructively for the promotion of Punjabi across Jammu and Kashmir and the country.