An order was issued by the government on March 25 that a certificate titled Dogra Certificate will be issued to citizens of Jammu who have been living in the state since 1944. Raman Bhalla, minister for revenue, relief and rehabilitation in the National Conference-led coalition government has asked the people of Jammu to get this ethnic certificate.

In 2008, the agitation over allotment of land to a temple trust had ignited an unrest that resulted in the death of 63 people and created a communal divide in the state that had brought the state to the verge of disintegration.

The government of Omar Abdullah has failed to put forward a cogent reason for introducing this ethnic certificate and clubbing other ethnic groups of Jammu province with Dogra group that dominates two and a half districts of the province.

The Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir has a population of 12.5 million of which seven million live in Kashmir valley and 5.6 million in Jammu province. The provisional census report of 2011 released recently indicates that about 70 percent of the population of the state are Muslims and the rest belong to other religious communities — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhist and Christians. Over 90 percent living in Kashmir valley are Muslims and in Jammu province the Muslims are over thirty five percent.

In Jammu province besides Dogras other ethnic groups are Gujjars, Parahis, Bakarwals, Kashmiris, Kashtawaris and Poonchies but the certificate to be issued by government will declare all ethnic groups as Dogras.

The order has provoked statements from pro-freedom and pro-India political parties in the state and it is being seen as a part of bigger game plan connected with determining the future status of Jammu and Kashmir. The people of Jammu and Kashmir have been demanding right to self-determination as provided under the UN resolution of 1948 and 1949. The Indian government has been projecting it as demand of a minority living in Kashmir valley.

Doubts are cast on the sincerity of providing Dogra Certificate to people of Jammu when state already has a state subject law in vogue in the state since 1929, that determine domicile status of the people. The state revenue minister Bhalla and law minister A.M. Sagar said the certificate was needed for recruitment of people in the army. The army spokesman in Srinagar denied that such a certificate was needed for recruitment in army.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah failed to defend the decision of his government at a civil society meeting here. Members of the civil society named the certificate as “patriot certificate” aimed at targeting and harassing the majority community in the state.

Syed Ali Geelani has described the order as dubious saying it was aimed at destroying the Muslim identity of the state and hoodwinking the international community.