NC committed to protect J&K’s cultural diversity: Sagar

Jammu, September 02: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar on Friday said that the party is committed to the country’s secularist tradition and unity in diversity.

This he said while presiding over a meeting of Party functionaries of Jammu Urban, Jammu Rural A, Jammu Rural B, Samba, Reasi, and Kathua districts at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhawan, Jammu. Among others, Provincial President Rattan Lal Gupta, senior leader AG Malik, and District presidents were also present on the occasion.

While addressing the functionaries Sagar said that the defining characteristics of NC has been that it has been able to sustain democratic governance and equitable development of all ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups in J&K. Kashmiris, Dogras, Gujjars, Paharis have all remained deeply attached to their sense of collective history and to their identity. Efforts that are being made to break this bond will be resisted and its JKNC under the able leadership of Dr. Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah is spearheading this movement once again,” he said adding, “People of J&K are fed-up with the hollow promises made over the period last four years. It’s time that we tell the people in power that enough is enough. Nobody can take people of J&K for granted.”

Among others Rattan Lal Gupta Provincial President Jammu Province, Sheikh Bashir Ahmed Provincial Secretary, Abdul Gani Malik former minister and Zone President Udhampur Reasi, Brij Mohan Sharma Provincial Vice President, Surinder Singh Bunty Provincial Vice President, Jagjeevan Lal former minister, and District President Reasi, Jugal Mahajan, Bushan Lal Bhat Ex-MLC, Dr. Chaman Lal Bhagat Ex-MLA, Deepinder Kour Ex-MLC, Vijay Lochan P.P SC Cell, Abdul Gani Teli P.P OBC Cell, Bimla Luthra Ex-MLA, Mohinder Singh, Pardeep Bali, Satwant Kour Dogra P.P Women Wing Jammu Province, Chander Mohan Sharma District President Jammu Urban, Raghvir Singh Manhas District President Jammu Rural A, Naresh Bhittu District President Jammu Rural B, Sudagar Chand Gupta District President Samba, Ajeet Kumar Sharma District President Kathua Urban, Sham Narian Mehta District President Kathua Rural, Vijay Laxmi Dutta, Ch. Rehmat Ali BDC Chairman, Shahmim Begum DDC Dansal, Zeeshan Rana Addl. Spokesperson Jammu, Ashok Kumar Attri, Reeta Gupta, Tariq Butt, G.H Malik, Ashok Dogra, Ravi Dogra, Rakesh Singh Raka, Rashida Begum, Daljeet Sharma, K.K Bakshi, S. Gurnam Singh, Mohinder Kumar Rana, S. Parvinder Singh, Waris Gill, Devinder Mehta, Shabir Sambyal, Sain Dass, Harsh Vardhan, Reyaz Ahmed Hakala, Madan Lal, Mohinder Singh, Thoru Ram, Farooq Mughal, S. Tejinder Singh, Nitish Goswami, Munzamil Malik, and others.

Sagar said that there is no scope for communal politics in J&K, saying the people of the region, particularly Jammu have long been living in amity and brotherhood. “Jammu has wholeheartedly welcomed distressed groups from all the corners of the region. Communal harmony has long been the harmony of the people of Jammu, Pir Panjal, and Chenab. It is high time that we join our efforts to protect this priced heirloom of ours,” he said. On the occasion, he asked the party cadre to gear up for the upcoming observance of Sher e Kashmir’s death anniversary.

In his address, Rattan Lal Gupta said, “NC has always been a great advocate of secularism and will continue to do so. We don’t need lessons of secularism from others. Our party has withstood all the vestibules of time. It was in our efforts that father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi saw a ray of hope

He further added, “The youth of Jammu are hankering for basic rights. Unemployment has reached its crescendo. In the forthcoming elections, people of Jammu have made up their minds to teach the BJP and its cronies a lesson of their life.”