Srinagar, July 16 -- Peoples Conference President and MLA Handwara Sajad Lone on Wednesday voiced deep concern over the exclusion of Urdu as a qualifying requirement for the post of Naib Tehsildar in Jammu and Kashmir, calling it part of a "systematic marginalisation" of the Kashmiri-speaking majority and a dangerous step toward the "linguicide" of Urdu.

Reacting sharply to the development, Lone said, "So now Urdu is no longer needed to qualify for the post of Naib Tehsildar. The majority Kashmiri-speaking population has been almost relegated to a footnote in the recruitment lists. Their presence in the recruitment lists is inversely proportional to their numbers. That is of course due to reservations."

He noted that Urdu had historical...