SRINAGAR – In a major administrative rollback aimed at preserving peace, the Jammu and Kashmir government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, officially revoked the highly controversial order that mandated the issuance of ‘Dogra Certificates’ to residents of the Jammu region.
The state government formally ‘superseded’ the directive initially issued by the Revenue Department. The abrupt withdrawal came just two days before a strict ultimatum issued by hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani was set to expire, preventing a potential massive law-and-order crisis in the Valley.
The initial administrative order was designed to grant a specific ethnic identity certificate to citizens living in the Jammu division. However, it immediately sparked severe outrage across the Kashmir Valley. Separatist leaders and civil society members strongly opposed the move, describing it as an attempt to polarize the state along ethnic, communal, and regional lines.
Fearing a dangerous repeat of the violent 2008 Amarnath land row agitation—which deeply divided the state—the administration held high-level security reviews. Recognizing the potential for widespread unrest, the government chose to prioritize stability, withdrawing the contentious certificate to bridge the trust deficit between the administration and the public.
While the revocation pacified the Kashmir Valley, it triggered contrasting political reactions in the Jammu region, where several local leaders had championed the certificate as a necessary recognition of Dogra identity and heritage.
(Note: While this specific administrative revocation originally unfolded in 2011, it remains a heavily referenced political milestone in J&K’s regional dynamics, frequently resurfacing in current political discourse regarding Jammu’s identity).
Published by True Roots Media Network