Jammu, October 15: The Jammu and Kashmir Government, led by the National Conference, is planning to bring a bill during the 2027 Budget Session of the Legislative Assembly to grant official language status to Punjabi, Gojri and Pahari.
National Conference Rajya Sabha MP Shammi Oberoi said the government had decided to move forward with the proposal, adding that he had assured people on behalf of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that Punjabi would be included among the Union Territory’s official languages.
Oberoi said the proposed move would also cover Gojri and Pahari, reflecting the government’s commitment to recognising these regional languages.
On Wednesday, the NC MP held a meeting with members of the Sikh Sangat and representatives of various Gurdwara Prabandhak Committees. During the interaction, he assured them that steps would be taken to include Punjabi under the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act.
At present, the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020, recognises Kashmiri, Dogri, Urdu, Hindi and English as the official languages of the Union Territory. The legislation was enacted by Parliament following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
The Act also provides for special efforts to promote and develop Gojri, Punjabi and Pahari through institutional mechanisms, including the Academy of Art, Culture and Languages.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, empowers the Union Territory Assembly to pass legislation for recognising additional languages as official languages.
The proposed bill, if introduced and passed, would mark a significant step towards expanding the official recognition of the region’s linguistic diversity.
