Jammu, July 30
The POJK DPs are the first Saviors of J&K state , fought the Pak Army / Tribal raiders to defend the State and faced genocide sacrificing more than 40,000 lives , dislocation, struggle, misery etc. for more than seven decades are being ignored . In 1947 before the Indian Army landed in Srinagar raiders had killed more than 4000 DPs in the valley only apart from those killed in POJK.
The Govt of India has presented the bill in Parliament proposing 2-two assembly seats for Kashmiri Migrants and one seat by nomination has been kept for Refugees / Displaced Persons from POJK of 1947 and 1965-’71 .
The bill in the present form incurs grave injustice to the big chunk of around 16 lakh populace of POJK DPs and bill is against the basic concept of representation to all.
These DPs have a populace of around 16 lakhs ( 65% Hindus and 35% Sikhs) living in Jammu province mostly on the IB and LOC all along INDO-PAK border from Poonch to Kathua districts and in other states . These DPs have been struggling to get justice and to get permanent Relief & Rehabilitation since last seventy five years.
Lately a Deptt. Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs gave its recommendations vide its report No. 183 dt. 22nd Dec 2014 making clear recommendation to give 8-eight Assembly Seats to these DPs vide para 3.2.2 on page 24 under caption “Defreezeing of Seats in Legislative Assembly”. Unfortunately this report is eating dust since in both the houses of Parliament. Not even a single recommendation of the report has been implemented till date .
Further it is unjust of the govt to compare the DPs family count of 1947 with present family count Kashmiri Migrants. Migrants get their families registered in view of laid down provision of registration and they are being paid monthly cash doles. Whereas no registration of DPs families has ever been updated till date despite repeated demand of DPs for update of registration. The number of family units of DPs of 1947 being in the 3rd and 4th generation has grown 12-15 times and the number of DPs families units today is around 4,50,000 – 5,00,000 lakhs. The govt is not granting representation on the basis of present population/voters to DPs of 1947 from POJK which comprises of Hindus and Sikhs. We are factually owners of 24 assembly seats but govt has treated us beggars and failed to defreeze seats to the proportionate of population displaced and left over. When govt required, it defreezed one seat for Mendhar. The govt is all along eating our constitutional right of representation. The Govt is not concerned for POJK DPs and appears intended to give such vacant seats only to people presently residing in POJK. The Kashmiri Pandits have been allowed 2-assembly seats only on the analogy of dislocation and not giving 10-12 seats to POJK DPs will not only go against the spirit of said analogy. The govt intends to deprive the right of representation before as well as after retrieval of POJK. Let us explain the situation with SCENERIO WHEN POJK WILL BE RETRIEVED :
Assuming that when POJK will be retrieved by Govt of India, the POJK DPs comprising of Hindus and Sikhs are sure not get any representation in the assembly and all 24 seats kept vacant will be occupied by persons presently settled in POJK and this fact no political analyst can deny. The minute study of this situation contamplates allocation/ defreeing of 12 seats to DPs in the interest of nation. Needless to mention that POJK will be Kashmir when retrieved and allocating at this stage 12-seats for POJK DPs who are settled in Jammu province will help Jammuiets establishing their strength . It is not only in favour of POJK DPs but also in favour of Jammu.
It would be worthwhile to mention that the DPs voters being placed scattered around in Jammu province have deciding votes in about 25-assembly segments and 2-two Palimantary segments.
It is strongly demanded that the bill should be modified to grant atleast 12 seats for POJK DPs of 1947.
