The administration of Ladakh has removed Urdu as a test language for various posts in the Revenue department.
According to the notification issued by Principal Secretary Dr. Pawan Kotwal, instead of ‘Knowledge of Urdu’, ‘Bachelor’s degree from any recognized university has been made mandatory.
Urdu has been the language of land and revenue records.
Courts (lower courts) and FIRs are also written in Urdu. Urdu is the medium of instruction taught in government schools, especially in Muslim-majority areas of Kashmir, Kargil, and Jammu.
It is noteworthy that BJP MP from Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal had written to Home Minister Amit Shah last year demanding changes in revenue rules (removal of Urdu) for reinstatement in posts like Patwari and Naib Tehsildar. He said that this is the most important change after the abrogation of Article 370. Real freedom came from the language imposed for decades.
JKNC Condemns
Jammu Kashmir National Conference Kargil today strongly condemned the order issued by the Revenue Department of the Union Territory of Ladakh on 07 January, 2022 in which the administration has shown a “different and biased approach towards the Urdu language.”
President of JKNC Kargil, Haji Haneefa Jan in his statement said that the UT Administration is openly attacking Urdu with different means and is trying to deprive our unemployed youth from employment.
Expressing strong resentment, JKNC Kargil also condemned the statement of Member Parliament (MP) Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal against Urdu where in the MP termed Urdu an “alien language”.
This is very unfortunate part of the administration.
“We think that the MP Ladakh should avoid to play hate politics in the region and respect the languages and the people who speak Urdu. We can’t tolerate such an unfortunate move from the government,” Haneefa Jan added.