J&K PUNJABI BHASHA ADHIKAR SABHA SUBMITS COMPREHENSIVE MEMORANDUM TO CABINET MINISTER SATISH SHARMA
Delegation demands introduction of an Amendment Bill to J&K Official languges Act,2020 to include official language status to Punjabi in Jammu & Kashmir
JAMMU / SRINAGAR (September 8, 2026)
A delegation of community leaders and civil society representatives under the banner of the J&K Punjabi Bhasha Adhikar Sabha today met with Hon’ble Cabinet Minister Shri Satish Sharma Ji at the Civil Secretariat and submitted a formal memorandum urging the J&K Government to grant official administrative language status to Punjabi.
Sandeep Singh Rissam Convenor J&K Punjabi Bhasha Adhikar Sabha along with the delegation submitted the memorandum and highlighted the historic relationship of Punjabi language with the state of Jammu and Kashmir and the deep sense of cultural and administrative alienation felt by lakhs of Punjabi-speaking citizens across Jammu and the Kashmir Valley—following the enactment of the J&K Official Languages Act, 2020, which omitted Punjabi despite its 60-year constitutional standing under the former J&K Constitution
Sandeep Singh Rissam while drawings direct parallels to the region’s broader political discourse, emphasized that just as the stripping of J&K’s historic Statehood caused immense public distress, the sudden removal of Punjabi’s constitutional recognition inflicts similar cultural pain on native residents. The Sabha noted that the elected State Government has a historic opportunity to heal this wound by Tabling the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages (Amendment) Bill in the upcoming session of the J&K Legislative Assembly to formally add Punjabi to the list of official administrative languages
Hon’ble Minister Shri Satish Sharma Ji received the delegation warmly, listened attentively to the delegation’s grievances, and assured the representatives that the elected government is committed to protecting and promoting the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of every region across Jammu and Kashmir
The delegation comprising of Manmeet Singh, Gurdev Singh, Karan singh, Parvinder Singh, Navjeet Singh and others announced that it will continue its democratic outreach across all districts to mobilize public support, meet with key stakeholders across political lines, and ensure the linguistic rights of J&K’s heritage languages are fully restored.
