Batote: A press conference was held today in Batote under the chairmanship of Former Councillor Batote Shahrukh Bhatti, during which the demand for granting Pahari status to the Chenab Valley was prominently raised.
Addressing the press conference, Shahrukh Bhatti Former Councillor Batote said that just as the Rajouri-Poonch region has been granted Pahari status, the Chenab region also has a distinct Pahari geography, culture, and social character. The people living here reside in hilly and mountainous areas and speak various local languages and dialects. A large part of the Chenab Valley comprises remote and high-altitude mountainous areas.
He said that granting Pahari status to Rajouri-Poonch is a welcome step, and the people of the Chenab region have no objection to it. However, the people of the Chenab Valley should also be given equal consideration and the region should be granted Pahari status as well.
Former Councillor Shahrukh Bhatti appealed to the Prime Minister of India, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to seriously consider the demand and ensure that the issue of granting Pahari status to the Chenab Valley is recommended and taken up in the upcoming Assembly session.
He said that the demand for Pahari status is a long-standing aspiration of the people of the Chenab region and urged the government to take a positive decision after considering the area’s geographical, social, and cultural characteristics.
Former Sarpanch Jagdish Chand, former Block President Ata Zargar, former Naib Sarpanch Abdul Rashid, Kuldeep Singh, Shahir lone, and other prominent people were present on the occasion.
