![\"Iltija](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-130588228,imgsize-189644,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/srinagar-apr-28-ani-people39s-democratic-party-leader-iltija-mufti-leads-a-p.jpg\" "\\"People's")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nSrinagar: PDP leader Iltija Mufti<\/a> Tuesday took to the streets to protest govt\u2019s proposed move to remove knowledge of Urdu as an eligibility criterion under Jammu and Kashmir<\/a> Revenue Service Recruitment Rules, calling it an attack on J&K\u2019s linguistic heritage.Talking to reporters outside the party headquarters, Iltija said: \u201cUrdu is being sidelined in govt services, educational institutions like Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom are being shut, students are being booked under Public Safety Act in Sopore, but the National Conference govt is doing nothing.\u201dShe attempted to lead a protest march, but was stopped by police. \u201cUrdu connects villages and cities across Jammu and Kashmir. It is part of our linguistic heritage, our identity and is a repository of knowledge,\u201d she said. Urdu served as a link language among diverse communities, including Kashmiris, Paharis and Gujjars, Iltija maintained, questioning the rationale behind its removal.The education and revenue departments were under the elected govt, and it could not escape responsibility, she said, adding, \u201cI want to ask the chief minister, why he is busy running marathons in different states instead of addressing his responsibilities here. Accusing NC of \u201cdoing BJP\u2019s bidding\u201d, Iltija said PDP \u201cwill resist these designs and defeat such moves\u201d.The row began after the revenue department on April 10 issued a draft of J&K Revenue Service Recruitment Rules for non-gazetted posts, inviting objections within 15 days. The draft stated the minimum qualification for direct recruitment to be \u201cgraduation from any university\u201d, omitting the knowledge of Urdu, which was earlier mandatory.In 1989, J&K\u2019s then Dogra ruler replaced Persian with Urdu as the court language. After 1947, the J&K Constituent Assembly retained Urdu as the state\u2019s official language. Over time, English gradually replaced Urdu in official communication. Urdu\u2019s 131-year status as the sole official language in J&K ended in Sept 2020 when the central govt brought the J&K Official Languages Bill, declaring Urdu, Hindi, Kashmiri, Dogri and English as the official languages of the UT.<\/div>\n