2 months ago
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The Jammu University’s determination to see dropping Pakistan laminitis Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Indian pedagogue Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and writer Mohammad Iqbal from the postgraduate programmes connected Monday evoked crisp disapproval from the National Conference (NC), which is the ruling enactment successful Jammu and Kashmir, and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“After a thorough consideration, the committee [of Jammu University] unanimously resolved to urge the removal of topics concerning Jinnah, Khan and Iqbal from the people contented of the one-year postgraduate programme and two-year postgraduate programme successful Political Science to the Board of Studies (BOS) for its consideration,” said a announcement issued by the Head of Department, Political Science.
This followed protests by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Friday (March 20, 2026). They demanded that a section connected Jinnah beryllium dropped pursuing which the university’s departmental affairs committee (DAC) chaired a gathering connected Sunday (March 22) “to deliberate upon the issues raised concerning the syllabi”.
According o the notice, a caller gathering of BOS volition beryllium held connected March 24 ”to further deliberate connected the matter”.
Both the NC and the PDP questioned and opposed the decision. “The JU determination reeks of pressure, not principle. A syllabus alteration triggered by protests, targeting thinkers nether a insubstantial titled ‘Minorities and the Nation’, and justified successful the sanction of National Education Policy 2020. This is not world reform, it’s capitulation,” said NC legislator Tanvir Sadiq.
He said each the accusation was a click distant online. “Such attempts to curate ‘acceptable history’ are not conscionable ill-thought, they are futile and dangerous. You don’t fortify nationalist integrity by erasing debate. You weaken it,” helium added.
PDP spokesperson Tazeem Dar termed the determination arsenic “deeply troubling and reflective of a constrictive world outlook”.
“Removing specified towering intelligence figures from assemblage syllabi amounts to diminishing the richness of South Asia’s intelligence and philosophical heritage. Figures similar Iqbal and Sir Syed are not simply humanities personalities; they correspond enduring traditions of captious thought, reform, and intelligence awakening,” said Mr. Dar.
The PDP said universities successful J&K “must stay inclusive platforms that exposure students to divers schools of thought alternatively than restricting intelligence engagement done selective omissions”.
“Such steps hazard weakening the tone of enquiry and statement that forms the backbone of immoderate vibrant world institution,” said Mr. Dar. He called upon academicians, civilian society, and stakeholders “to safeguard the sanctity of acquisition institutions and guarantee that they proceed to foster captious thinking, pluralism, and unfastened dialogue”.
