SRINAGAR: In a major legislative push aimed at broadening regional linguistic inclusion, the National Conference-led administration has decided to introduce a formal bill during the upcoming 2027 budget session of the Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly to grant official language status to Punjabi, Gojri, and Pahari.

National Conference Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament, Shammi Oberoi, confirmed the development, emphasizing that the decision honors a public commitment delivered on behalf of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to address long-standing linguistic representations in the Union Territory.

Speaking on the policy initiative, Oberoi stated that the administration has committed to incorporating Punjabi, Gojri, and Pahari into Jammu & Kashmir’s list of official languages.

The announcement follows a comprehensive outreach engagement on Wednesday, where Oberoi met with members of the Sikh Sangat and key delegates from several Gurdwara Prabandhak Committees. During the deliberations, he gave an explicit assurance that Punjabi would be formally inducted under the Union Territory’s Official Languages framework.

Legislative Background & Constitutional Scope

The current linguistic structure was established following the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, when Parliament passed the Jammu & Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020. That legislation recognized Kashmiri, Dogri, Urdu, Hindi, and English as the official languages of the Union Territory. While the 2020 enactment directed the UT administration to actively develop and promote Gojri, Punjabi, and Pahari through bodies such as the Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, it stopped short of granting them full statutory status.

Under the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the J&K Legislative Assembly holds the legal prerogative to enact laws adopting one or more regional languages for official administrative use across the Union Territory. The planned legislation in the 2027 budget session marks the first direct parliamentary initiative by the elected Assembly to exercise this power.