Sanjay Pandita
Jammu, June 13: Amid outrage in the Jammu region over making knowledge of Urdu mandatory for Naib Tehsildar recruitment, the ruling National Conference came out in support of the decision of the J&K Services Selection Board (JKSSB).
Chief spokesperson of the National Conference, Tanvir Sadiq, said that the party would reject any attempt to politicize or communalize the status of Urdu for short-term gains.
“We believe that the place of Urdu in our revenue, judicial, and administrative system is rooted in history, not in any political or sectarian agenda”, he said.
“Urdu became the official administrative language of J&K over 130 years ago during the Maharaja’s reign, evolving naturally as a unifying and functional language for all regions and communities. It has since formed the backbone of our governance from revenue records, land settlements, and court judgments to legal correspondence and continues to serve as the working language for vast volumes of existing official documents”, he further stated.
“For decades, officers, patwaris, lawyers, and judges have been trained in Urdu, ensuring seamless continuity in administration. The system, the records, and the legal processes were all built around it”, he said and warned that any attempt to undermine Urdu’s role today would not only be historically dishonest but would create immense administrative and legal complications, risking serious disruption in governance.
“Beyond administration, Urdu also remains a vital part of Jammu & Kashmir’s shared cultural and literary identity. It belongs to everyone, cutting across religion, region, and ideology”, he Amid outrage in the Jammu region over making knowledge of Urdu mandatory for Naib Tehsildar recruitment, the ruling NC has come out in support of JKSSB’s decision.
We believe that the place of Urdu in our revenue, judicial, and administrative system is rooted in history, not in any political or sectarian agenda.
Urdu became the official administrative language of J&K over 130 years ago during the Maharaja’s reign, evolving naturally as a unifying and functional language for all regions and communities.
Aspirants from Jammu have raised concerns over the mandatory Urdu language requirement for the Naib Tehsildar recruitment examination, deeming it discriminatory given J&K’s five official languages.
“We are committed to protecting J&K’s historical institutions, cultural identity, and administrative continuity. We reject any attempt to politicize or communalize the status of Urdu for short-term gains”, he warned.
As reported earlier, aspirants from Jammu have raised concerns over the mandatory Urdu language requirement for the naib tehsildar recruitment examination, deeming it discriminatory given Jammu and Kashmir’s five official languages: Kashmiri, Dogri, Urdu, Hindi, and English, as established under the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill, 2020. They have appealed to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for intervention.
Vinkal Sharma, a youth leader, argued that the Urdu requirement creates unfair barriers for Jammu candidates, many of whom lack formal Urdu education despite possessing professional qualifications. “This policy favors Urdu speakers, sidelining others who are equally competent,” Sharma said. He emphasized that employment opportunities should align with constitutional guarantees of equality, regardless of linguistic background, and urged authorities to revise the recruitment policy to ensure inclusivity.
The Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) notification mandates graduation with Urdu knowledge as an eligibility criterion. Aspirant Ravi Kumar noted that Urdu is an optional subject in Jammu schools from Classes 5 to 8, making the requirement exclusionary. He suggested retaining the previous system, where candidates could learn Urdu during a one-year probation period after clearing an objective test in English, rather than facing a descriptive Urdu test as a prerequisite. |
