Responding to the protest led by Iltija Mufti over the alleged removal of Urdu from revenue services, Advisor to Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani on Tuesday said no such notification has been issued and accused the opposition of “misleading people.”
Addressing a press conference here, Wani said the controversy had been unnecessarily created, asserting that the government had only invited public objections on certain proposals as part of a standard democratic process.
“I am surprised that they are in a hurry. A notification was issued by the department, in which objections were asked, that if the public has any objection about any subject, then they should raise it. We had asked for objections from people, and this is the main method of the democratic system,” he said.
He said the government had received a large number of responses during the stipulated period and acknowledged the centrality of Urdu in the revenue system. “We have received a lot of objections during the time period. And even we, the government, have realized that the language here, especially in terms of revenue, is Urdu. It cannot be removed from this, neither in the syllabus, nor in recruitment,” Wani said.
Explaining the practical implications, he added, “Because if the revenue officers are not able to understand Urdu, if they are not able to read Urdu, if they are not able to check all the documents in Urdu, then there will be no benefit for them, and there will be a lot of problems in their way of working.”
Wani challenged the opposition to produce evidence supporting their claims. “Show us a notification in which the government has removed Urdu from this syllabus, or from the recruitment process. Through your channel, I will request all of you that if you have a notification in which Urdu has been removed… then we are sorry,” he said, adding, “They are in a hurry to mislead people.”
Taking a swipe at the People’s Democratic Party, he said opposition parties have the right to protest but not to spread misinformation. “Not only on this issue, but on every issue. It is their right as an opposition to oppose, but not to mislead people,” he said.
Referring to the ruling Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, Wani asserted, “The National Conference is a zimmedar jamaat. We are fully aware of these things. Believe me, Urdu will never be removed from the syllabus. I want to convey this message to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.”
Questioning the urgency of the protest, he said, “What was the need to create such a big issue? I am unable to understand this.” He also urged the media to present the government’s perspective alongside opposition claims. “When you receive such news reports or such questions, then do include the government’s side in your news reports,” he said.
On being asked about the protest itself, Wani said, “People have rejected her. They should be patient until the next election. In the next election, we will talk to them on these issues. At that time, people will judge our efforts.”
Responding to criticism that the Chief Minister is not serious and is “busy in marathons,” Wani dismissed the remarks. “This is his own opinion. He has a big role on the canvas. He will not work only on his own ideas,” he said, in an apparent reference to opposition leaders.
He also took aim at the PDP’s past political decisions, saying, “When the PDP government was in power, they worked on their own ideas, and we are still suffering from the same. If they had not aligned with the BJP, the situation might have been different.”
