Political leaders condemn stay on Urdu requirement as assault on Kashmir’s identity
Srinagar Political leaders in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK) have strongly condemned the Central Administrative Tribunal’s (CAT) decision to stay the mandatory Urdu language for Naib Tehsildar recruitment, calling it an attack on the territory’s administrative heritage and cultural identity.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the controversy erupted after the IOJK Services Selection Board made Urdu proficiency mandatory for Naib Tehsildar posts in the Revenue Department in June 2025. The move sparked protests, particularly in the Jammu region, with aspirants terming the clause discriminatory. The BJP launched a campaign seeking the removal of Urdu as a qualifying requirement. Following a petition filed by Jammu-based applicants, the CAT Jammu Bench stayed the Urdu clause and ordered the Services Selection Board to accept applications from graduates possessing knowledge of any of the five official languages.
IOJK Chief Minister Omar Abdullah warned that efficiency in the Revenue Department would be compromised if officials lacked basic Urdu skills. “Even before Independence, our revenue records were in Urdu. How can staff perform their duties without understanding it”, he questioned, proposing that non-Urdu-speaking appointees be trained in the language post-selection.
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti, in a post on X, said, “It is deeply unfortunate that our judiciary appears to be influenced by divisive politics. Urdu, a recognised official language for decades, is now being unfairly communalised. Our revenue records and administrative work continue to be maintained in Urdu, and it is only logical that applicants for the post of Naib Tehsildar possess basic proficiency in the language. This requirement is rooted purely in administrative efficiency, not in any form of divisiveness.”
NC legislator Tanvir Sadiq stressed Urdu’s historic role, noting it became the region’s administrative language over 130 years ago under the Dogras. “Politicising this legacy for short-term gain threatens administrative continuity,” he said.
PDP MLA Waheed Parra called the BJP’s campaign a “disgraceful politicisation of language” aimed at rewriting identity rather than recruitment.
People’s Conference President Sajad Lone warned that the move amounted to a “systematic marginalisation” of Kashmiris. He added, “With Urdu no longer mandatory, the majority Kashmiri-speaking population has been relegated to a footnote in recruitment lists. This is not about merit; it is about erasure.”
