Sikh outfit threatens stir in JK

A Sikh outfit today threatened agitation against the PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir alleging that it failed to address the problems faced by the community in the state.
Chairman of All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) Jagmohan Singh Raina told reporters here that the long-pending demand of minority status for the Sikhs was not fulfilled by the government.
"We had great expectations from Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed that he would rise to the occasion and solve the genuine problems of our community.
"It was expected that the state government will extend the minority status to the Sikhs in tune with the recommendations of National Commission for Minority Act that has already classified Sikhs as minority in India," he said.

Besides the extension of Minority Act in the state, he said, "We have been raising issues like filling up of vacant posts of Punjabi teachers and lecturers in the schools and colleges of the state, employment avenues to the youth of the community and representation of the community in the state legislature."
Raina also said that Sikhs don't have adequate representation in the state legislature.

"It is quite unfortunate that Sikhs are not being represented in due number in the state legislature. There is virtually no political representation of the Sikhs in the state and our genuine demands are not being raised on the political forums.

"The regional parties have utterly failed in giving due political representation to Sikhs in Jammu and Kashmir. Giving more political representation to the Sikhs would ensure that the problems are projected in right manner and some solution is found out," he said.
More than seven months have passed since the PDP-BJP formed the government in the state but there is no solution to the issues being faced by us and we continue to be neglected by the people at the helm of affairs, he said.
Raina said the Sikh community is "disillusioned and disappointed" by the present dispensation.
He said that his organisation had written letters to the chief minister and the other ministers asking them to fulfill their demands and set a deadline of 20 days.

"The deadline period is already over but still there is no action from the state government," he said.
The Sikh leader said since there was no "positive signal" from the government, the organisation has decided to carry out a sustained agitation programme against the government.