Sikh organisations thank CM for giving representation to Jammu in cabinet

Jammu, Oct 22: Chairman Sikh United Front J&K, S Sudershan Singh Wazir and other Sikh organisations of J&K Tuesday thanked Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for giving more than due representation to legislators belonging to the Jammu region in the cabinet.

Addressing a news conference of various Sikh organisations, Wazir thanked people who had expressed their resounding faith in the National Conference (NC) and the alliance during the assembly elections and gave a befitting reply to those who were thriving in politics by creating a regional divide among the peace-loving people of J&K.

Wazir complimented all those progressive-thinking people who had voted decisively in favour of a secular alliance and had shown the door to the communal forces.

He said that the people of Jammu look upon the new government headed by Omar Abdullah for redressal of their grievances, especially issues like unemployment, development of infrastructure, the plight of the government sector educational institutions, the private sector of education, the establishment of industry in J&K, and also promoting tourism in Jammu province.

With regards to demands put forth by the Sikh community during the past few years, Wazir appealed to the CM to immediately introduce Punjabi as an official language apart from the other specific issues like unemployment among the Sikh youth and also requested for expediting the permanent settlement issues of POJK refugees.

He said that the past few years had been the worst of times during which people had suffered in every sphere of life and business.

Wazir expressed his confidence that the CM would also establish a Minority Commission in J&K as promised in the NC manifesto at the earliest.

He assured the fullest cooperation of the Sikh community to the present government and demanded that the Centre should immediately fulfil its promise of restoring statehood to J&K.

Wazir specifically requested the government headed by Omar Abdullah to restore Durbar Move at the earliest so that the business activity and the communal divide between the regions could be diluted as creating a regional divide was the game plan of communal forces for their vested interests.