Shah to visit J&K next month, may announce reservation for Paharis

Jammu, September 23

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Jammu and Kashmir on October 1 and 2. He is likely to announce reservations for the Pahari-speaking community, BJP sources said on Friday.

Party sources said Shah would address a public rally in Rajouri on October 1 in the Jammu division and in Kupwara district of Kashmir division on October 2. “He will announce reservations for the Pahari-speaking community whose large population lives in Poonch, Rajouri districts of the Jammu division and Baramulla district of the Valley. Shah will kickstart the BJP election campaign in J&K during his forthcoming visit,” BJP sources said.

To discuss militancy

• Amit Shah will hold top-level security meetings with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
• These meetings are likely to focus on tackling militancy in Kashmir.

Shah will also co-chair top-level security meetings with the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha. These meetings are likely to focus on tackling militancy in Kashmir where despite official claims of ‘residual militancy’, intelligence agencies believe radicalisation of local youth still continues. “Radicalised local youth are the feeding grounds of militancy in Kashmir,” said a senior intelligence officer.

The Delimitation Commission has already made reservations for the ST and SC in the 90-member J&K Assembly, reserving nine seats for the ST and six for SC candidates.

In addition to this, the Delimitation Commission has recommended two nominated seats for the Kashmiri Pandit community with voting rights in the legislative Assembly on the pattern of the Puducherry Assembly. It has also been recommended that one of the two nominated Kashmir Pandit members should be a woman.

The commission has also recommended nominated members from West Pakistan refugees.

The election commission has fixed November 25 for the publication of final voter list. Filing of nomination papers, their scrutiny and the period for poll campaign, etc., clearly indicate that given the harsh winter in J&K that starts by the middle of December, the latest J&K elections can be held in April-May 2023. — IANS