Sajad Lone decries ‘Linguicide’ of Urdu, Slams elected Govt over Naib Tehsildar criteria change

Srinagar, July 16, KNT: Peoples Conference President and MLA Handwara, Sajad Gani Lone, on Wednesday strongly criticised the exclusion of Urdu as a qualifying requirement for the post of Naib Tehsildar in Jammu and Kashmir, terming the move a dangerous step towards the “linguicide” of Urdu and systematic marginalisation of the Kashmiri-speaking majority.

Reacting to the latest recruitment development, Lone said that dropping Urdu from the eligibility criteria for Naib Tehsildar positions strips the local population of a long-held linguistic advantage in administrative roles. “So now Urdu is no longer needed to qualify for the post of Naib Tehsildar. The majority Kashmiri-speaking population has been almost relegated to a footnote in the recruitment lists,” Lone said.

He added that Urdu, which has historically been the language of record in revenue services, enabled Kashmiri aspirants to perform better in NT exams. “They may have had a slight advantage in the exams, and justifiably so, as all revenue records are in Urdu. Now that has been withdrawn too,” Lone said, calling the move a calculated attempt to erase the region’s linguistic roots.

The senior politician also expressed suspicion over the timing and manner of the decision, urging a legal challenge to what he views as an exclusionary policy shift. “The onus of giving a good legal representation is on the incumbent elected government. Hope it is not yet another fixed match in a series of fixed matches that we are seeing lately,” he said, taking a veiled swipe at the National Conference and the current regime.

However, beyond the political and administrative dimensions, Lone’s remarks touched a deeper cultural chord. Calling Urdu “a literary delight,” he lamented the personal regret of never having formally studied the language. “To think of enabling the linguicide of this great language is heartbreaking. This language has an emotional and historical connect with Kashmiris and that will never go away.”

Lone’s statement has sparked debate over the cultural and political motivations behind the move, with critics warning that altering the linguistic requirements for such key administrative posts is not just a bureaucratic shift but a deeper identity re-engineering.

The government has yet to respond to the growing criticism or clarify its position on why Urdu, historically the language of administration in Jammu and Kashmir, has been dropped from the eligibility norms for the Naib Tehsildar posts. [KNT]