Rajouri: Pahari people in Rajouri and Poonch are jubilant over promise of Scheduled Tribe status by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during Tuesday rally and are terming it as a big sign of success of their decades long struggle.
People also held meetings across Rajouri and Poonch on Wednesday to express gratitude to Home Minister for his concern towards Paharis.
Pahari leaders including Shahbaz Khan, Jahangir Khan, Vikrant Sharma and others said that Tuesday’s rally of Home Minister is a grand success especially for Pahari people who are struggling hard since long for their demand of Scheduled tribe status.
“It is for the first time that a Union Home Minister reached Pir Panjal region for mentioning Pahari people and their services for nation,” said these leaders who stated that Paharis are highly thankful to Home Minister Amit Shah for his concern.
“We are since long struggling for Scheduled Tribe status for Paharis and have seen a number of ups and downs in this struggle and Tuesday rally is one of the most important development in the race,” said these Pahari leaders who further mentioned about multiple statements mentioned by Amit Shah from stage during address in rally organised in Rajouri on Tuesday.
The Pahari leaders also said that Scheduled Tribe status demand is a decades long struggle of Pahari people for which they have strived hard so far and almost all the Governments in Jammu and Kashmir promised this status but no one took any concrete step while Governments in center also promised of this status but did nothing.