Srinagar, Jan 1, KNT: Serious concern has been raised over the functioning of the Pahari Section of the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, with stakeholders warning that acute staff shortages have pushed the section close to paralysis.
The issue has come into sharp focus following the superannuation of Editor, Pahari Section-cum-Cultural Officer Mohammad Ayub Mir on December 31, 2025. With his retirement, the section has been left virtually defunct, having only one main employee to shoulder core responsibilities.
Sources said that four vital posts in the Pahari Section remain vacant, including Editor-in-Chief, Editor-cum-Cultural Officer, Assistant Editor and Field Assistant. At present, only the post of Research Assistant is filled, while two calligraphers and one orderly are managing routine tasks. The absence of academic and editorial staff has severely affected research work, publications and cultural programmes.
The All Jammu and Kashmir Pahari Cultural and Welfare Forum has expressed strong resentment over what it described as continued official apathy towards the Pahari Section. Forum president Raja Aijaz Ali said the failure to fill key posts reflects a serious disregard for the Pahari ethnic group.
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He said allowing the only government institution dedicated to the promotion of the Pahari language and culture to function with skeletal staff exposes a lack of commitment to preserving the community’s linguistic and cultural heritage.
PDP Secretary J and K Pahari Cell Syed Jamat Ali Shaheen also voiced concern over the situation, stating that it contradicts repeated government assurances regarding the protection and promotion of tribal languages. He warned that unless immediate steps are taken to fill the vacant posts or introduce alternative arrangements, the Pahari Section risks slipping into long-term institutional stagnation.
He said that administrative functioning, research activities, publications and cultural initiatives are bound to suffer as long as the section remains understaffed.
The Pahari language is spoken by a sizeable population across Jammu and Kashmir, and the Pahari Section of JKAACL is regarded as the sole official platform for its promotion and preservation. Cultural forums and other stakeholders have urged the government to take urgent cognisance of the matter and ensure adequate staffing and institutional support to safeguard the linguistic and cultural identity of the Pahari ethnic group. [KNT]
