Raises concern over cultural erosion, seeks govt clarification
Srinagar: PDP leader Iltija Mufti on Tuesday accused the Jammu and Kashmir government of attempting to “gradually remove” Urdu from the administrative system, citing recent decisions on digitisation of revenue records and changes in recruitment rules.
Speaking at a press conference, Mufti said a protest held a day earlier over the alleged removal of Urdu from recruitment examinations saw a large turnout and also witnessed arguments with police.
She alleged that remarks made by the Chief Minister’s advisor and the Deputy Chief Minister at a late-night press conference dismissing her claims were “incorrect”, and said she had come to “fact-check” the government’s position.
“You may have 50 MLAs, a government and even BJP’s support, but I have the truth, and I want to present it before the people,” she said.
Mufti claimed that efforts to sideline Urdu began in July 2025, when, according to her, an order was issued under the Revenue Department headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to digitise all revenue records in English.
“For over a hundred years, revenue records have been maintained in Urdu. Despite that, Urdu was pushed aside in the digitisation process,” she said.
The PDP leader further referred to a notification dated April 14, 2026 (SRO-74), alleging that recruitment rules for the revenue department were amended to remove the requirement of knowledge of Urdu.
“Now, one only needs to be a graduate. Knowledge of Urdu is no longer mandatory,” she said, questioning the move.
Mufti alleged that the decisions amounted to “order after order” that weaken the position of Urdu, which she described as a shared language across communities in Jammu and Kashmir
“I want to ask the Chief Minister why he is doing what was not done even during the Maharaja’s time and what even the BJP could not do — removing Urdu from our system,” she said, adding, “Why this allergy to Urdu?”
She said Urdu is widely spoken and forms an integral part of the region’s culture and identity, and questioned whether the public mandate in 2024 was meant to “erase our language, identity and collective culture”.
Explaining the rationale behind the protest, Mufti said it was held in response to “repeated notifications” that, she alleged, aimed at removing Urdu from governance.
“This entire process started with these orders. We have serious questions — why repeatedly target a language that has been our common language for centuries?” she said.
She also alleged that the changes would adversely affect employment opportunities for local youth, many of whom are proficient in Urdu.
“There is already so much unemployment. Why exclude youth who are fluent in Urdu? This is also an attack on the youth of Jammu and Kashmir,” she said.
Mufti added that when accountability is sought, those raising concerns are being labelled as “liars”, and said she had brought copies of the relevant orders to support her claims. (KNS)
