J&K Assembly disrupted over LoP remark ‘no official Pir Panjal region exists’

The Legislative Assembly witnessed pandemonium on Tuesday after MLAs from Rajouri and Poonch districts demanded an apology from Leader of Opposition (LoP) Sunil Sharma over his remarks regarding the Pir Panjal region, leading to a brief adjournment of the House.

The issue was raised by Congress MLA from Rajouri, Iftikhar Ahmed, who said that Sharma had reportedly stated that he was unaware of any region called Pir Panjal in Jammu and Kashmir.

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, Minister Javed Ahmed, and several MLAs from the twin border districts—including Aijaz Jan, Javaid Iqbal, Muzaffar Iqbal Khan, and Choudhary Akram—demanded an apology from the LoP. BJP MLAs, meanwhile, supported Sharma and raised slogans of “Vande Mataram,” while MLAs from the Pir Panjal region countered with slogans of “Jive Jive Pir Panjal.”

Following the adjournment of the House by Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, all MLAs from Rajouri and Poonch staged a protest outside the Assembly, raising slogans in support of Pir Panjal.

The controversy stemmed from an interview given by the LoP to a news portal, in which he was asked about the demand for setting up a National Law University (NLU) in the Pir Panjal region. Sharma reportedly responded that he did not know of any area officially called “Pir Panjal”.

Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, Iftikhar Ahmed said, “Until LoP Sunil Sharma tenders an apology for his remarks on the Pir Panjal region, we will not allow the House to function. He has disrespected the people of Pir Panjal, a name that has been known for a long time.” MLA Aijaz Jan also demanded that Sharma apologise on the floor of the House.

Responding to the controversy, Sunil Sharma told the media that Jammu and Kashmir is one unit and that there is no region officially named “Pir Panjal.” He alleged that certain political parties were attempting to divide J&K on regional lines. “What is the Pir Panjal region? From where did this name come?” he asked.

Sharma further said that a National Law Universitycould be established in Rajouri or Poonch, adding that some political parties were pushing what he termed an agenda of a “so-called Greater Kashmir.” He also claimed that the region referred to as Pir Panjal was known as Chandrabhaga in ancient scriptures.