Hakla Demands Newly Created Lok Sabha Constituency Namely Rajouri-anantnag To Be Reserved For Schedule Tribe Gujjars Bakarwals

Poonch, 06-03-2022:  Shamsher Hakla Poonchi, a prominent Gujjar leader and an intellectual of J&K welcomed the draft proposal of the J&K Delimitation Commission for creating a new Lok Sabha constituency namely Rajouri-Anantnag in J&K U.T. He demanded the newly constructed constituency of Rajouri-Anantnag to be reserved for Scheduled Tribe Gujjars Bakarwals under Schedule Tribe status norms. Hakla said that there exists a huge population of Gujjars-Bakarwals Schedule Tribe community in newly created Lok Sabha constituency of Rajouri-Anantnag and this reservation of Schedule Tribe Gujjar Bakarwal community in the newly created constituency is a genuine demand and this would ensure Gujjar Bakarwal community a representation in Parliament of India and this is a right as per norms of Schedule Tribe under Indian Constitution. This representation of Gujjar Bakarwal Schedule Tribe community in the parliament would pave a way for the community to address their genuine issues and difficulties faced by them in J&K to the Parliament.

Shamsher Hakla Poonchi said that the Gujjar Bakarwal Schedule Tribe community resides in the Twenty (20) districts of J&K U.T and can be found mainly in hilly, mountainous and far-flung areas near forests and on the Indo-Pak LOC & International Borders of J&K with a population of over many lakhs. Gujjars Bakarwals are divided into 3 tribes: SETTLED, HALF-SETTLED AND UNSTELLED NOMADIC. The needs and problems, the language and culture of Gujjar Bakarwal tribe is quite different from other communities of J&K U.T and that is why this tribe has its own identity, customs and unique way of life. The Gujjar Bakarwal tribe belongs to Islam religion in J&K U.T. He said that the Gujjars Bakarwals of J&K U.T are politically, educationally, socially and economically backward.

Hakla said recognising backwardness of Gujjars Bakarwals of J&K, Govt. of India granted Schedule Tribe status to Gujjars Bakarwals under Ordinance no.03 of 1991 under Article 342 of Indian Constitution on 19 April 1991. So far as their participation in the state is concerned under Schedule Tribe status norms, there should have been reservation of assembly segments and Lok Sabha segments for Gujjar Bakarwal in the state but it did not happen anywhere in the state. Due to the indifferent attitude the Gujjar Bakarwal Schedule Tribe community of J&K stands deprived of such political rights.