Former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Social gathering (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Monday demanded separate standing for Pir Panjal and Chenab Valley areas of Jammu. Calls for for partition standing for the dual areas arose subsequently. BJP chief Shyam Lal Sharma demanded of Jammu: carved out as an unbiased nation.
Each the ruling Nationwide Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering criticized the Mufti over the proposal. Whereas the BJP has accused the mufti of parroting the “language of Pakistan”, the NC has in contrast the proposal to the 1950 “Dixon Plan”.
What’s behind PDP’s request?
Whereas addressing a public assembly in Rajouri on Monday, Mufti asserted the separate standing of Pir Panjal and Chenab Valley. “Pir Panjal and Chenab valleys are dealing with extreme administrative neglect. As a result of topography, vulnerability to environmental disasters, distance from decision-making centres, and many others., sectoral standing has change into the necessity of the hour,” Mufti stated, including that her demand was an “administrative necessity” slightly than “political rhetoric” and that governance should be available to individuals, particularly in border and mountainous areas.
Pir Panjal and Chenab are mountainous areas that represent 5 districts of Jammu area. The dual areas have totally different political and cultural orientations than mainland Jammu. Pir Panjal includes the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, whereas Chenab area includes Ramban, Doda and Kishtwar districts. At present, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is split into two districts with 10 districts every.
The decision for separate standing for the dual areas is just not new, with political and social leaders from each areas campaigning for hill improvement councils and separate standing, alleging discrimination in improvement in comparison with Jammu correct, which includes Udhampur, Jammu, Samba, Kathua and Reasi.
Over the a long time, many payments and resolutions in search of regional autonomy for the 2 areas, particularly the Chenab Valley, have been launched within the erstwhile J&Okay Meeting.
In February 2019 too, PDP had explored separate divisions for Pir Panjal and Chenab Valley. The occasion’s assertion got here a day after the federal government created a separate division in Ladakh, which was nonetheless a part of J&Okay.
How did the BJP react?
The BJP criticized the PDP chief as a few of its leaders had raised the demand for independence for Jammu state. “Mehbooba Mufti is just not talking on behalf of Pir Panjal or the individuals of the Chenab Valley. She is repeating the phrases of Pakistan and its Inter-Providers Intelligence (ISI), which has at all times dreamed of progressively absorbing the Muslim-majority belt of Jammu into Kashmir and making a so-called ‘Higher Kashmir’,” stated Altaf Thakur, BJP spokesperson.
BJP MLA Shyam Lal Sharma, who had earlier this month demanded bifurcation of J&Okay and statehood for Jammu, had raised the demand in 2010 when he was a minister within the Congress authorities in NC.
In 2024, after the J&Okay meeting elections, BJP chief Chaudhary Zulfikar Ali stated that residents of the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch ought to demand to be carved out as a separate union territory from J&Okay. On the time, J&Okay BJP working president Sat Sharma stated Ali’s demand was “in opposition to the pursuits of the individuals of the UT and the state” and that the occasion was against any demand for the partition of J&Okay.
In 2002, the RSS known as for “tripartition” of the then J&Okay into two separate states of Jammu and Kashmir and the UT of Ladakh.
Why did NC evaluate PDP demand to the “Dixon Plan”?
Nationwide Convention president Farooq Abdullah termed the Mufti’s demand to offer divisional standing to Pir Panjal and Chenab as “divisive” and in contrast it to the “Dixon Plan”, or “the previous plan to partition J&Okay alongside the Chenab River into ‘Higher Kashmir'”.
The “Dixon Plan” refers to a proposal by Australian choose Sir Owen Dixon, who visited the subcontinent after the 1950 United Nations decision on the Kashmir dispute. Mr. Dickson proposed giving Ladakh completely to India, whereas giving the northern area and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to Pakistan. He advocated that the Jammu area must be divided between India and Pakistan alongside the Chenab River and that the individuals of the Kashmir Valley must be given the choice to determine their very own future by way of a referendum.
CM Omar Abdullah stated the demand for secession of Jammu state by some BJP leaders exhibits the failure of occasion politics. “You could not deal with Ladakh. Why mess with Jammu? One way or the other their politics failed they usually immediately remembered statehood for Jammu,” the CM stated.
Has NC’s stance modified?
By the way, when J&Okay was given a separate division in 2019 throughout President’s rule, Omar Abdullah had promised to offer divisional standing to Pir Panjal and Chenab Valley if the NC got here to energy.
“If the individuals of J&Okay abandon their religion in NC after the 2019 elections, our authorities will give separate standing to Chenab Valley and Pir Panchal area as already stipulated within the promise of regional autonomy,” Omar posted on X on February 8, 2019. “We are going to take into consideration regional and sub-regional needs. We is not going to undertake the governor’s either-or method, however as a substitute will take a holistic view and our regional autonomy doc shall be our template.”
The change in NC’s stand on the cut up between Pir Panjal and Chenab may have political implications for the occasion. Within the 2024 parliamentary elections, the NC had ensured that the PDP wouldn’t have the ability to acquire a foothold within the two areas.
