JAMMU: The Jammu & Kashmir Gujjar Bakerwals Organizations’ Coordination Committee held a Mammoth Maha Panchayat at JDA Parking Ground, Rail Head Complex, Bahu Plaza, Jammu in which a large number of delegates including Panchs, Sarpanchs, BDC and DDC Chairpersons participated. All the participants expressed their unity and solidarity with the Gujjar Bakerwals and existing Scheduled Tribes of J&K. They also expressed their solidarity with Scheduled Tribes of rest of the country. The leaders of community appealed to the Scheduled Tribes of rest of the country & Gujjar-Bakerwals of India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari to safeguard the rights of already existing Scheduled Tribes of Jammu & Kashmir. While speaking on the occasion the Chairman of Coordination Committee Anwar Chowdhary (advocate) appealed the Gujjars of the country to come forward in support of Gujjars of Jammu & Kashmir for protecting the rights of Gujjar-Bakerwals of J&K. The speakers in the Maha-Panchayat expressed their deep anguish over the illegal and unconstitutional Bill being introduced in the Parliament in the ensuing Parliament Session beginning from Monday. All the speakers termed the said Bill as illegal and unconstitutional. The veteran leaders of Gujjar-Bakerwals said that an illegal & unconstitutional Commission headed by Retd. Justice GD Sharma made recommendations for inclusion of some upper castes in the Scheduled Tribe list which by no stretch of imagination can be Scheduled Tribes. They also condemned the conduct of some leaders of a political party who forced some people of their party belonging to Gujjar Community to hold a press conference on Dec 2, and made them to mislead the Scheduled Tribes of Jammu & Kashmir that no harm shall be done to the status of already existing Scheduled Tribes. All the members were unanimous to continue their struggle for preservation of Scheduled Tribe Status of Gujjar-Bakerwals of Jammu & Kashmir & have vowed to fight for the rights of Gujjars-Bakerwals by adopting all legal means, whether i.e. to come on the roads in Legislative Assembly and Counsel, Parliament & in the Courts of Law including the Supreme Court of India. The speakers appealed to the Govt. of India to drop from discussion and passing the J&K ST Amendment Bill 2023 immediately in the interest of Scheduled Tribes of Jammu & Kashmir & peace & prosperity not only in J&K but in the whole of Country. Those who spoke on the Occasion include Mukhya Gurjar Ex- Legislator Uttar Pradesh (Meerut), Supreme Court Advocate Sunil Bhainsla from Delhi, Anand Patel Advocate Jaipur Rajasthan, Narinder Singh Gurjar Delhi, Veer Gurjar -Delhi, Sumaiya Ch, Adv Mohd. Owais, Adv Akram, Bilal Rashid, Murtaza Kamal, Guftar Ahmed , Adv Talib Choudhary, Shahid Ayoub Tahir Choudhary, Kashif Choudhary, Sakib Choudhary, Aamir Choudhary, Abdul Aziz, Nahila Falak (Female representative), Zafar Iqbal, Aryan Choudhary (Kashmir), Imran Ashraf (Kashmir), Imtiaz Ahmed, G&B leader Mohd Yousaf Majnu, Haji Allah Rahim Chechi, Hussain Ali Wafa, Ishtiaq Bhatti, Fatima Farooq BDC Member, Sardar Khan, Basharat Phamda and others
