Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Awami Itihaad Party leaders Langate MLA Sheikh Khursheed and state secretary Sheikh Ashiq raised sharp questions over the removal of nearly 6,519 books from college and institutional libraries under the Higher Education Department, alleging that the government withheld critical details despite a starred question raised in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Khursheed said the government’s response confirmed the scale of the removal but omitted essential particulars such as book titles, authors, subjects and publishing houses.
Khursheed said he had expected the starred question to be taken up in a manner allowing supplementary questions in the Assembly, but alleged it was deliberately held back, denying him the opportunity to seek further clarification directly from the treasury benches. He argued that the absence of detailed information raises serious concerns about the basis on which the books were removed and whether the exercise carries implications for the preservation of Jammu and Kashmir’s history, literature and academic record. The AIP leader demanded a complete list of the removed titles along with their authors, subjects and publishers, and indicated the party would press the issue again once the Assembly session resumes.
The AIP leader also questioned who within the elected government authorised the removals and under what policy criteria the decisions were taken, extending his criticism to what he described as a broader restrictive approach by the Union government towards literature relating to Kashmir. He argued that the government could not simultaneously claim to protect freedom of expression while curbing access to material dealing with the region’s history, drawing a contrast between the promotion of films depicting the suffering of the Kashmiri Pandit community and what he called the parallel suppression of literature addressing the wider political history of Kashmir.
Khursheed further claimed that information gathered independently by the party suggested books containing references to Kashmir had been specifically targeted for removal from some libraries, and called on the government to clarify whether such a criterion had been applied and under whose directions. The AIP leaders also turned their criticism towards Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, alleging that the National Conference government, despite having sought a mandate partly on the restoration of Article 370 and 35A, had remained silent on the library removals and was effectively facilitating measures taken by the Union government.
Khursheed said the party would share a copy of the Assembly question with the media so the public could examine the issue independently, and reiterated that AIP would continue to press the matter when the Assembly session resumes.
