Iltija protests removal of Urdu from job recruitment eligibility rules, slams NC govt | India News
Srinagar: PDP leader Iltija Mufti Protesters took to the streets on Tuesday to protest against the government’s proposed move to remove knowledge of Urdu as an eligibility criterion Jammu and Kashmir Revenue Service recruitment rules, calling it an attack on the linguistic heritage of Jammu and Kashmir.Speaking to reporters outside the party headquarters, Iltiza said: “Urdu is being sidelined in government services, educational institutions like Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom are being closed, students are being booked under the Public Safety Act in Sopore, but the National Conference government is doing nothing.”He tried to lead a protest march, but was stopped by the police. “Urdu connects villages and towns across Jammu and Kashmir. It is part of our linguistic heritage, our identity and is a repository of knowledge. “Urdu has served as a connecting language between various communities including Kashmiris, Paharis and Gujjars, Iltiza questioned the rationale behind its removal.The education and revenue departments were under the elected government, and it could not shirk responsibility, he said, adding, “I want to ask the chief minister why he is busy running marathons in different states instead of addressing his responsibilities here.” Accusing the NC of doing the “BJP’s bidding”, Iltija said the PDP would “resist such plans and resist such steps”.The row started after the revenue department issued a draft of the J&K Revenue Service recruitment rules for non-gazetted posts on April 10, inviting objections within 15 days. The draft says the minimum qualification for direct recruitment should be “graduation from any university”, excluding knowledge of Urdu, which was earlier mandatory.In 1989, the then Dogra rulers of Jammu and Kashmir replaced Persian with Urdu as the court language. After 1947, the J&K Constituent Assembly retained Urdu as the official language of the state. Over time, English gradually replaced Urdu in official communication. Urdu’s 131-year status as the sole official language in J&K ended in September 2020 when the central government brought the J&K Official Languages Bill, declaring Urdu, Hindi, Kashmiri, Dogri and English as the official languages of the UT.
