Finally after a long wait the genuine demand of Phari people was full filled. The Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced Scheduled Tribe(ST) Status for Pahari speaking people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Hesaid that the status will be granted to the pahari community after the completion of administrative formalities. He blamed the local political parties for not giving Pahari community their rights saying that giving Scheduled Tribe status to Pahari community is something which should have been done much earlier but the people at the helm of affairs in the past six decades or so never wanted this community to prosper.
Amit Shah said that giving ST status to Pahari community will not do any harm to the already granted STs like Gujjars and Bakerwals.
ST status to Pahari community is a drean come true for Pahari speaking people as this community has been striving hard for the status for past many decades and all their pleas and prayers in this regard had fallen to deaf ears. As citizens of Jammu and Kashmir, the people of this community have every right to be at par with other communities and contribute equally in the process of development and nation building. If we look at the history of Pahari community, they have given immense sacrifices in the past for safeguarding the national interests in Jammu and Kashmir and have always been at the forefront when it came to fighting militancy.
It would have been a huge disgrace if this community would not get what they deserved in a dispensation which has always valued contributions and not political affiliations. Pahari children have every right to have good education and get into government service to serve the society, which, till now, they could only dream of. Granted ST status to this community will definitely strengthen democracy at grass root level in Jammu and Kashmir and it will have long lasting impact upon overall administrative and developmental scenario in Jammu and Kashmir. Today can surely called as a historic day for this downtrodden Pahari community.
