Kamal Ghorui
JAMMU: A bitter dispute over identity and regional recognition rocked J&K assembly for a second straight day after opposition leader Sunil Sharma of BJP dismissed the existence of the “Pir Panjal region” — triggering protests, walkouts and demands for an apology from lawmakers.CM Omar Abdullah said Thursday that Sharma’s remarks had “angered an entire region” and said it did not suit any politician to deride a region by questioning its name. Sharma had yet to apologise, he said.The row comes weeks after PDP president Mehbooba Mufti pitched for a separate administrative division comprising Rajouri and Poonch in Pir Panjal along with Chenab valley districts, citing remoteness, hilly terrain and lack of infrastructure — a demand BJP opposed.The region refers to the mountainous belt along the Pir Panjal range south of Kashmir valley and close to the LoC. Chenab valley includes Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban — rugged districts carved by the Chenab river. Both often complain they are sidelined between Jammu division and Kashmir valley in development, representation and administrative focus.The controversy began Tuesday when Sharma, who represents Padder-Nagseni in Kishtwar district, responded to a question on whether a proposed National Law University could be set up in Pir Panjal. He said there was no such region and that he had never heard the name “in any dictionary”. He later alleged the term was part of a political conspiracy by regional parties, echoing what he called the idea of a “Greater Kashmir”, which BJP would not allow.Sharma’s comments provoked protests from legislators from Rajouri and Poonch, including deputy CM Surinder Choudhary and forest minister Javed Rana, both from the area. They demanded an apology. Sharma refused.Independent legislator Muzaffar Iqbal Khan of Thanamandi in Rajouri district said Sharma’s statement has hurt public sentiment. “This is not just an insult to Pir Panjal but also to Chenab valley — Kishtwar and Doda,” he said. “We are border-area people. We have made sacrifices even during Operation Sindoor. In Poonch city alone, 16 people were killed. Those sacrifices have been insulted.”The protests resumed Thursday as lawmakers accused Sharma of reflecting “hatred” towards Pir Panjal and Chenab valley. Omar said criticism of a region by questioning its identity was unacceptable in a diverse Union territory.
