Jammu University pitches for dropping Jinnah and Iqbal from syllabus; NC, PDP oppose move

The Jammu University’s move to consider dropping Pakistan founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Indian educator Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and poet Mohammad Iqbal from the postgraduate programmes on Monday evoked sharp criticism from the National Conference (NC), which is the ruling party in Jammu and Kashmir, and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“After a thorough consideration, the committee [of Jammu University] unanimously resolved to recommend the removal of topics concerning Jinnah, Khan and Iqbal from the course content of the one-year postgraduate programme and two-year postgraduate programme in Political Science to the Board of Studies (BOS) for its consideration,” said a notice issued by the Head of Department, Political Science.

This followed protests by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Friday (March 20, 2026). They demanded that a chapter on Jinnah be dropped following which the university’s departmental affairs committee (DAC) chaired a meeting on Sunday (March 22) “to deliberate upon the issues raised concerning the syllabi”.

According o the notice, a fresh meeting of BOS will be held on March 24 ”to further deliberate on the matter”.

Both the NC and the PDP questioned and opposed the decision. “The JU move reeks of pressure, not principle. A syllabus change triggered by protests, targeting thinkers under a paper titled ‘Minorities and the Nation’, and justified in the name of National Education Policy 2020. This is not academic reform, it’s capitulation,” said NC legislator Tanvir Sadiq.

He said all the information was a click away online. “Such attempts to curate ‘acceptable history’ are not just ill-thought, they are futile and dangerous. You don’t strengthen national integrity by erasing debate. You weaken it,” he added.

PDP spokesperson Tazeem Dar termed the move as “deeply troubling and reflective of a narrow academic outlook”.

“Removing such towering intellectual figures from university syllabi amounts to diminishing the richness of South Asia’s intellectual and philosophical heritage. Figures like Iqbal and Sir Syed are not merely historical personalities; they represent enduring traditions of critical thought, reform, and intellectual awakening,” said Mr. Dar.

The PDP said universities in J&K “must remain inclusive platforms that expose students to diverse schools of thought rather than restricting intellectual engagement through selective omissions”.

“Such steps risk weakening the spirit of inquiry and debate that forms the backbone of any vibrant academic institution,” said Mr. Dar. He called upon academicians, civil society, and stakeholders “to safeguard the sanctity of educational institutions and ensure that they continue to foster critical thinking, pluralism, and open dialogue”.