JAMMU: A heated debate over identity and regional recognition rocked the J&K Assembly for the second day in a row, triggering protests, strikes and demands for an apology from MPs, after Bharatiya Janata Party opposition leader Sunil Sharma denied the existence of “Pir Panjal district”.Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Thursday that Sharma’s comments had “outraged the entire region” and said it was not appropriate for any politician to mock a region by questioning its name. He said Sharma has yet to apologize.A few weeks ago, People’s Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti proposed a separate administrative district consisting of Rajouri and Poonch in the Pir Panjal and Chenab valley districts, a demand the PPP opposed citing remoteness, rugged terrain and lack of infrastructure.The area refers to the mountainous areas along the Pir Panjal range south of the Kashmir Valley and close to the Line of Control. The Chenab valley includes Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban, rugged areas carved by the Chenab river. Both have often complained of their marginal status between the Jammu division and the Kashmir valley in terms of development, representation and administrative priorities.The controversy started on Tuesday when Sharma, who represents Kishtwar district Pad Nag Saini, responded to a question on whether a proposed national law university could be set up in Pir Pangarh. He said no such area existed and that he had never heard the name “in any dictionary.” He later claimed that the term was part of a regional party political conspiracy, echoing what he called the idea of ​​a “Greater Kashmir” that the BJP would not allow.Sharma’s remarks triggered protests from lawmakers in Rajouri and Poonch, including Deputy Minister Surinder Chaudhry and Forest Minister Javed Rana from the region. They demanded an apology. Sharma refused.Muzaffar Iqbal Khan, an independent MP from Thanamandi in Rajouri district, said Sharma’s statement hurt public sentiment. “This is an insult not only to Pirpanjal but also to the Chenab Valley – Kishtwar and Doda,” he said. “We are the people of the border areas. Even during Operation Sindoor, we made sacrifices. In Poonch alone, 16 people were killed. These sacrifices are insulted.”Protests resumed on Thursday, with MPs accusing Sharma of reflecting “hate” against Pir Panjal and Chenab Valley. Omar said it was unacceptable in a diverse federal territory to criticize a region by questioning its identity.
