Srinagar: Sikh youth activists, scholars and community members held a peaceful candlelight protest at Lal Chowk on Friday, expressing solidarity with the Jammu Punjabi Morcha and demanding official recognition for Punjabi in Jammu and Kashmir.
The protesters highlighted the language’s historical, literary and cultural significance and urged the government to address the long-pending demand for its recognition.
Sardar Angad Singh Khalsa said Punjabi was an integral part of the community’s cultural identity and heritage, adding that the demand for its official recognition deserved priority consideration.
He said the removal of Punjabi from the list of official languages had hurt the sentiments of the Punjabi-speaking community and called for equal opportunities for the protection and development of all languages.
Advocate Naveed Bukhtiyar, who participated in the demonstration, highlighted Punjabi’s literary tradition and its role in connecting communities. He said promoting regional languages was essential to preserving cultural identity and ensuring that future generations remained connected to their heritage.
Tejveer Singh, president of the J&K Youth Empowerment Society (YES), also extended support to the Jammu Punjabi Morcha, urging the government to consider the concerns of Punjabi-speaking people.
He said language represented history, traditions and collective identity, adding that peaceful democratic expression was an important means of seeking recognition for linguistic and cultural rights.
The participants called for greater support for Punjabi through education, cultural activities and institutional measures. The protest concluded peacefully, with demonstrators reiterating their demand for official recognition and the preservation and promotion of the language in Jammu and Kashmir.
