Punjab BJP demands inclusion of Punjabi in official languages of J&K

Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma on Saturday appealed to Home Minister Amit Shah for the inclusion of Punjabi in official languages of Jammu and Kashmir.

Punjabi language should be given due recognition in Jammu and Kashmir, Sharma said in a statement here.

“I have written a letter to the Home Minister that Punjabi be incorporated in the list too,” he said.

“Over 70 per cent of the population in Jammu and Kashmir understand or speak Punjabi,” Sharma said.

The Union Cabinet had recently approved a bill, under which Kashmiri, Dogri and Hindi, apart from the existing Urdu and English, would be the official languages in the union territory.

The Shiromani Akali Dal on Thursday had said it would take up the issue of exclusion of Punjabi from official languages of Jammu & Kashmir with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

The SAD had also said it would also raise this issue in Parliament.