EARLY TIMES REPORT
POONCH, May 8: Prominent Gujjar leader and intellectual from J&K, Shamsher Hakla Poonchi has welcomed the final report especially the reservation of nine seats to the STs of J&K.
He said that it took 31 years of waiting for the tribes to get legitimate rights in J&K, as they were declared ST in 1991 and the political reservation was granted in 2022.
Hakla said despite granting ST status to Gujjars and Bakerwals in 1991, the successive governments denied political recommendations to this tribe for their vested interests. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, however, deserves all kudos for taking this historic step. He said that the Gujjars and Bakerwals are a major tribal group in Jammu Kashmir and are an ethnically, socially and politically very important segment of the society, and political reservation will give them a sense of confidence and pride. The move will empower the tribal community and help to eradicate poverty, caste stigma and end inequality, he added. |
