| Pahari Language Awareness by Abid Hussain |
|
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. |