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Pahari speakers and
service delivery
Kirklees Community
Languages Service
Public service
providers and particularly the local authorities have over the years made good
progress in providing an interpretation service for those communities, which
are unable to communicate in English.
According to census
data the Indian community, holistically, is the largest minority ethnic
community in Britain, however if the minority ethnic community is furthermore
segmented into language clusters, then it is clear that the Kashmiri Pahari
speaking community becomes the largest minority ethnic community in Britain.
So decades passed
and the Kashmiri community continued to suffer in silence without being
recognised or having any service provision according to their need, until in
1981 a high profiled case of Iqbal Begum came to the fore, where she was sent
to prison for murdering her husband.
One of the main
reasons for something of this nature to occur in this day and age is due to the
fact that the Kashmiri community is not being recognised as an individual
community. If the British
State recognised
Kashmiris as a distinct community with their languages and heritage, then it is
more likely that professionals and practitioners would have more knowledge and
they would provide a more appropriate choice to the community by asking them
more about their spoken language and cultural background.
As we have recognised
that Pahari speaking Kashmiri community has suffered and to some extent
continues to suffer both in terms of service delivery and employment. There is
a need for a rigorous effort firstly from the central government, then from the
local authorities, NHS Trusts and all other public service providers to
recognise this community, its language, heritage and cultural requirements in
its own right and provide services and employment according to its needs.
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