No Devanagari script for Kashmiri: Civil Society

Kashmir’s civil society today rejected the reported move by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to introduce Devanagari as an alternative script for Kashmiri language.
In an emergency meeting organised by Adbee Markaz Kamraz (AMK), a group of writers, poets, artists, academicians, social activists and businessmen, unequivocally resolved that the proposal to introduce Devanagari script was unacceptable.
“The move is politically motivated aimed at bifurcating the Kashmiri community in the name of the script,” said a resolution passed unanimously at the meeting. “It is aimed at demolishing our cultural identity as the existing script has been in vogue for past over five centuries and entire Kashmiri literature was available in this script. There is no need to have an alternative script that will not only divide the place but also lead to confusion”.
The meeting impressed upon the political leadership of the state across the divide to wake up and play its role in forcing the government to stop this move.
“The Chief Minister should also intervene and make Delhi understand that this will have dangerous ramifications,” said the resolution. The participants warned the HRD Ministry to desist from taking such a step and also clarify its stand. They welcomed the proposal to have National Council for Promotion of Kashmiri Language but said it should use only the existing script.
The meeting was presided over by noted Kashmiri poet Naseem Shifai while AMK general secretary Amin Bhat moderated the session.
Writer Deepak Kanwal said: “The proposal is unacceptable to the Kashmiri Pandit community also as it is being projected on communal lines by some unscrupulous elements.”
He said the Kashmiri Pandit writers had been writing in Persio-Arabic script and they are comfortable in it as it doesn’t violate their religious obligations.
“We must unite on this issue and fight the bad people who are trying to create a crack between the communities,” he said.
AMK president and senior journalist Syed Shuja’at Bukhari said the 99 per cent Kashmiri literature is written in Perso-Arabic script and it has a legal and constitutional recognition as well.
“So the proposal is truly a part of conspiracy which we need to tackle strongly,” he said.