Srinagar, July 16 -- The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of viewing Urdu through a communal lens after the BJP launched a campaign to remove Urdu as a mandatory qualification for naib tehsildar posts in Jammu Kashmir. Following a court judgment that cancelled the Urdu requirement, the BJP has been celebrating the decision as a victory.

"BJP's attempt to view Urdu through a communal lens marks a dangerous and disgraceful new low in our political discourse in J&K. Urdu is not a symbol of any religion but the throbbing pulse of Jammu Kashmir's identity, echoing collective memories and soulful struggles of our people over centuries. It is the language of poets, courts, revenue offices, admin...