'Free Us From The Muslim-Majoritarian Politics Of The Valley' — Why These Dogra, Pandit Groups Demand Jammu Statehood, 'Panun Kashmir'

On 5 August 2019, the Indian Parliament made amendments to Article 35A and 370 of the Indian Constitution.

Since then, the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state has been bifurcated as a Union Territory (UT) administered by a lieutenant governor, with Ladakh being a separate UT.

While many celebrated this decision, some, however, remained unhappy.

A section of the Dogras and the Pandits living in Jammu have been hoping for a day when Jammu would be granted statehood, or be separated from what they say is 'Muslim majoritarian politics' of the Kashmir Valley, historically dominated by the National Conference (NC) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP).

Where do these sentiments stem from?

Why A Separate Jammu State?

The bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh left some groups in Jammu disappointed, as their goal of a separate state remained unrealised.

Five years later, as assembly elections approach, this demand, which once had strong political support, has somewhat lost momentum as new political dynamics took centre stage post-2019.

Many Jammu residents feel the demand is too unrealistic. Others are fairly satisfied with the administration on most matters of governance and do not see the need for a separate Jammu state.

The demand keeps resurfacing however due to a longstanding sense of political and economic neglect, particularly when compared to the Kashmir region.

Advocates for this division argue that Jammu has been consistently sidelined in terms of political representation, resource allocation, and overall development even when the people of Jammu and Ladakh make up more than half of the population of the former state and occupy over 88 per cent of its land.

Many believe this is due to the dominance of Kashmir-centric Muslim majoritarian politics.

Advocate Ankur Sharma, president of IkkJutt Jammu, a political outfit demanding statehood for Jammu, tells Swarajya: "The reforms of 2019 have failed to show the expected outcomes for Jammu and its people. We still suffer under the dominance of the Kashmiri political system."

“I believe that the developments that are ongoing since the last five years, have only added to the issues of this region, now that more and more security concerns are only emerging in Jammu,” he adds.

He is referring to the attacks in the south of Pir Panjal — something India has not traditionally seen.

Many people here still believe that the development and resources directed towards Kashmir are primarily used to fund terror activities.

They feel that this has left certain areas in Jammu more exposed to security risks, heightening fears of violence and instability.

Groups like IkkJutt Jammu and Duggar Saddar Sabha emphasise that Jammu has consistently rejected militancy, even as Kashmir remained volatile. They argue that granting statehood would better address Jammu’s needs and protect its unique identity.

They call for the trifurcation of the Union Territory, with Jammu becoming a state and Kashmir being divided into two territories, including a special region — Panun Kashmir — for displaced Pandits from the valley.

Dr Agnishekar, the man behind the 'Panun Kashmir' mission, has been demanding a separate state for Kashmiri Pandits in the Jhelum Valley, including areas like Srinagar, Anantnag, Pahalgam, Baramulla and Sonmarg.

He says: "Called 'migrants' by the administration, the Kashmiri Pandits are in fact refugees in their own country due to total failure of the Indian state to provide security and safety to them when they were ruthlessly threatened, tortured and murdered by the Islamic terrorists".

Voices From Jammu

In discussions with residents of Jammu, it becomes evident that while the demand for statehood may not be widely supported, there is a prevalent sentiment of neglect among the population.

As per reports, between 2019 and 2024, Jammu and Kashmir saw several budget allocations, with a strong focus on socio-economic development post-revocation of its special status. The recent budget for FY 2024-25 stood at Rs 1.18 lakh crore.

However, the split in funding between the Jammu and Kashmir regions remains a sensitive topic.

Over the past five years, many have pointed out that Jammu has received less funding than Kashmir in certain areas, particularly central government schemes.

A businessman, running a garments store near Raghunath Temple in Jammu, tells Swarajya, "Why should our progress be used to make up for the instability in the valley? Our family has run shops here for generations. Jammu used to be the gateway for tourists visiting Vaishno Devi or the Kashmir Valley. But now, as the railway expands, our trade has suffered."

He added, "We’re not against development; we want progress for our region too. Jammu also needs specific attention in these changing times."

This sense of frustration is similar amongst many traders and businessmen in the busy markets of Jammu, who believe that their distinct identity and economic potential are being held back.

For them, the concerns are about fair representation, jobs, and resources that they feel have been unfairly allocated to Kashmir for decades.

Another shopkeeper shared, "We’ve always been overshadowed by the politics in valley. All the sympathy goes there, and we remain the victims of Kashmir’s political influence for years.”

“We have lived in fear for years. The abrogation has changed the way we live now. However, even after that, if the power centre remains in the valley, then what changes can we see.”

Is Jammu Not Seeing Any Development?

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced projects worth Rs 32,000 crore to improve connectivity and other infrastructure works in Jammu and Kashmir, of which, Rs 13,500 crore worth projects were dedicated to Jammu alone.

A new airport terminal is being built in Jammu to accommodate more passengers, and the 2013 promise of establishing IIT and IIM campuses in Jammu has been fulfilled, as reiterated by the Prime Minister himself.

The Chenab bridge will be operational any time now — an engineering miracle that will help Jammu connect with the rest of the Kashmir Valley (Baramulla-Srinagar-Banihal-Sangaldan) via railways.

The Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway connecting Jammu to Katra will also boost religious tourism to Mata Vaishno Devi.

According to J&K's planning development and monitoring department, initiatives are also underway to boost tourism in the region.

This includes the construction of a ropeway in Jammu and Patnitop — a popular hill station located near Jammu. Efforts are ongoing to promote border tourism in areas like Suchetgarh.

Apart from these, as a part of the Prime Minister's package, several other projects are underway in the valley.

While common sense dictates that the security concerns in Kashmir will always ensure adequate funding to the region, Jammu isn't trailing behind by much.

In that regard, the funding for Kashmir will always remain higher, as most of the projects being developed there double up as strategic measures also.

Separate State Demand Fades, Concerns Remain

A group of locals add, “They say, that the valley will be weakened if it separates from Jammu. But the power centre is still not here (Jammu).”

“In the delimitation exercise, instead of using data from the latest census, data from the 2011 census was used, which has been incorrect and fudged, causing Jammu division to trail behind Kashmir division by four seats (43 compared to 47) in the assembly, and the power centre still remains with Kashmir.”

Although the push for a separate state of Jammu has weakened, the underlying concerns of the people remain unresolved.

Ankur Sharma adds, “While the sentiment for separation still exists within people, the actual mobilisation for the cause was never that strong on the ground.”

“In the upcoming elections, this demand for statehood is not expected to be a decisive factor,” he adds.

The collective murmur of public sentiment in Jammu suggests that it will be the more immediate, tangible concerns — security, employment, and the ever-increasing expectations from the government — that will determine voter choices, even as the cry for statehood fades into the background.