What is the Pir Panjal controversy that has rocked Jammu and Kashmir Assembly
India Today
BJP leader Sunil Sharma has stirred a hornet's nest by claiming that there is no such region as Pir Panjal in Jammu and Kashmir. Why has it triggered a controversy? Why has it become an emotive issue in J&K?
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly witnessed pandemonium this week after BJP's Sunil Sharma, also the leader of the opposition, stirred controversy by dismissing the existence of the Pir Panjal region. The issue has snowballed into a full-blown flashpoint between the ruling NC-Congress government and the BJP. It has plunged the assembly session into chaos, triggering dharnas and protests in the Pir Panjal districts of Rajouri and Poonch. What is the controversy? Why has it become an emotive issue in J&K? Stay with us, and we will explain the reasons.
The trigger behind the controversy was an interview thatthe BJP's Sharma gave to a news portal earlier this week. When asked about demands for a National Law University (NLU) in J&K's Pir Panjal region, the BJP leader said he never heard the name "in any dictionary" and that no such area existed. He, instead, claimed the area was known as Chandrabhaga.
Instead of discussing daily wagers, casual and contractual workers, the Assembly is stuck on the Pir Panjal debate—while real public issues are being delayed. pic.twitter.com/IfEL61vfmP— Javid Khan (@javidkhan0123) February 4, 2026
The remark was enough to set the cat among the pigeons. MLAs from Rajouri and Poonch, including deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and Forest Minister Javed Rana, who are from the area, staged protests both inside and outside the assembly. They have demanded an apology from Sharma, who has flatly refused, and instead accused them of attempting to divide J&K on regional lines.
However, a scrutiny has revealed that the J&K government has used the term "Pir Panjal zone" over the years for appointments in official documents.
Now, why has this become so much of an emotive issue in J&K? First, let's understand the geography.
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