JAMMU and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has assured theresidents of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh that the government was committed to protect their identity, culture, jobs and land following abrogation of state’s special status and its bifurcation into two Union Territories.

Governor Malik’s statement has come at a time when the people of Ladakh have appealed to the Centre for safeguarding their ethnicculture, identity and land. Several prominent leaders of Ladakh including Lok Sabha MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal recently urged Centre to declare the region atribal area under Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Stressing that the regionis a predominantly tribal area with tribals making up to 98 per cent of its population, he had voiced concerns and apprehensions over a possible threat toregion’s demography, which is likely to endanger their cultural identity.

While Kashmir continues to reel under curfew andcommunications restrictions, concerns are being raised over perceived threatsto “Dogra culture, heritage and identity” in the Jammu region. A few days ago,Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party had appealed to the Ministry of HomeAffairs to take measures to safeguard Dogra culture after the cancellation ofthe state’s special status.

“We will protect their (the people of Jammu and Kashmir)identity, land, culture and jobs. We won’t allow their loss on theseaccounts,’’ Governor Malik told a news agency, adding that “We have abrogatedArticles 370 and 35-A and you will see in the coming days, we will work so muchfor the residents of Kashmir and create such circumstances that people ofPakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) will start saying that this part of Kashmir(J&K) is the ideal place to live.’’

Commenting on current restrictions in Kashmir, he said“Earlier when such things happened, even during the tenure of (Congress leader)Ghulam Nabi Azad several people were killed in the first week itself. Ouremphasis is that no Kashmiri should lose his life. We are not in a hurry. The livesof Kashmiris are very precious for us.”