Coined regional terminology a dangerous trend, must be stopped: Raman Suri

JAMMU: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Raman Suri today cautioned against the growing use of coined and unnecessary regional terminology to name parts of our Jammu Kashmir Union territory, terming it a dangerous trend aimed at dividing society on regional and communal lines. He said such attempts are not in the interest of Jammu Kashmir and must be firmly rejected by everyone in the same voice be it in the assembly or outside.

Suri said the increasing political use of terms like “Pir Panjal region” and “Chenab Valley” is deliberate and misleading, as these were never recognised as separate regions in standard geography or history textbooks. “We studied Pir Panjal, Trikuta Hills, Himalayas and Dhauladhar as mountain ranges of North India only. Similarly, some names were coined to rename historic places of importance and even used by legislators of particular regions during debates especially by those who sought to create artificial divisions,” he said.

Referring to the recent controversy in the Assembly, where MLAs from Rajouri and Poonch demanded an apology from the Leader of the Opposition over remarks on Pir Panjal, Suri said the uproar reflects a politically manufactured narrative. “Historically, Pir Panjal refers to a mountain range and pass, not a political or administrative region confined to Rajouri and Poonch,” he asserted.

Suri said the National Conference and PDP, along with Kashmir-centric elements, have promoted such terminology over the years to weaken Jammu’s unity and cultivate vote banks. He added that some so-called intellectuals and leaders sympathetic to separatist thinking further amplified these terms, giving them unwarranted legitimacy.

“The Pir Panjal range stretches across Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and parts of PoJK, acting as a natural barrier between the Kashmir Valley and Jammu plains. History and geography texts from Mughal records to Rajtarangini mention the range and pass, not a separate ‘Pir Panjal region’ as a formal unit,” Suri said.

He warned that politicising geography to suit ideological or religious agendas is harmful to social harmony. “This trend of inventing identities for political gain is dangerous and must be stopped in the larger interest of unity, peace and development of Jammu Kashmir,” Suri added. He cautioned those using such words saying that Jammu Kashmir is one entity and no one can divide its people on the lines of region or religion.