Onlykashmir.in News Desk
The Jammu and Kashmir Government has issued 5,73,667 Scheduled Tribe-II certificates to eligible members of Pahari ethnic groups across the Union Territory, according to data placed before the Legislative Assembly on Thursday. The figures show a sharp regional skew in distribution, with the overwhelming majority of certificates issued in the Jammu division.
Of the total certificates issued, 5,04,007 were in the Jammu division as against 69,660 in the Kashmir division, underlining how the Pahari ST-II category, granted reserved status in recent years, is concentrated largely among communities in the Pir Panjal and Chenab valley belts of the Jammu region. Rajouri district alone accounted for 3,01,091 certificates, by far the highest of any district in the Union Territory, followed by Kupwara with 34,224, Baramulla with 29,635, Poonch with 18,435 and Kishtwar with 17,304.
Within the Kashmir division, where numbers were comparatively modest, Shopian recorded 1,735 certificates, Anantnag 1,290, Ganderbal 1,018, Pulwama 836, Kulgam 347, Budgam 336, Bandipora 193 and Srinagar just 46, reflecting the smaller and more scattered Pahari-speaking population in the Valley compared to districts bordering Jammu and the Line of Control.
The government told the House that certificates continue to be issued to eligible members of Pahari ethnic groups strictly in accordance with prescribed eligibility criteria. The Scheduled Tribe status for Paharis, along with certain other communities, was extended by the central government as part of a broader reservation and welfare push in Jammu and Kashmir following the 2019 reorganisation, a decision that has since shaped local political alignments, particularly in border districts where competing communities have sought similar recognition.
The scale of certification reported to the Assembly indicates that implementation of the ST-II status has proceeded at a considerable pace since its introduction, though the wide disparity between the Jammu and Kashmir divisions is likely to remain a point of discussion as the government continues processing pending applications.
