Asif Iqbal Naik
Jammu, Feb 6, 2026:
The Union Territory Administration of Jammu and Kashmir has formally clarified that the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status granted to the Pahari Ethnic Group (PEG) is applicable across the entire UT of J&K and is strictly based on ethnicity, not on geographical location.
The clarification came in an official communication issued by the Social Welfare Department in response to a representation submitted by senior Congress leader and former minister G.M. Saroori, who had sought grant of Pahari status to residents of the Chenab Valley. The department stated that the Pahari Ethnic Group has already been accorded Scheduled Tribe status through The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Act, 2024, along with notification S.O. 176 of 2024, making the provisions uniformly applicable throughout Jammu and Kashmir 
The letter, issued under reference No. SWD-Grev/190/2022 (7709465) dated February 4, 2026, further notes that the decision is rooted in ethnic identity rather than territorial considerations, thereby ensuring equal applicability to eligible Pahari communities irrespective of their place of residence within the UT.
The communication also refers to earlier correspondence from the Lieutenant Governor’s Secretariat dated November 14, 2025, addressed to the Special Secretary to the Chief Secretary on the same subject. The Social Welfare Department conveyed that the matter already stands settled following the enactment of the 2024 amendment.
The response was issued by Dr. Zeba Suleman, JKAS, Under Secretary to the Government, Social Welfare Department. Copies of the communication were forwarded to G.M. Saroori for information and to the Additional Secretary to the Chief Secretary for kind information, in reference to Office Memorandum No. CS-US/13/2025 dated December 2, 2025.
The clarification is expected to address concerns raised from different regions, including Chenab Valley, regarding inclusion under the ST category, and reaffirms that all members of the Pahari Ethnic Group across Jammu and Kashmir are entitled to the benefits arising from Scheduled Tribe status as per the amended constitutional provisions.
