Seeks time-bound settlement of PoJK DPs’ long-pending issues
NEW DELHI, Sep 21: A delegation of the Jammu Kashmir Sharnarthi Action Committee (JKSAC), led by its President Gurdev Singh, today called on BJP National Spokesperson and Rajya Sabha Member Dr Sudhanshu Trivedi at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi and submitted its detailed “Hamari Awaaz Suno” memorandum, seeking a comprehensive, permanent and time-bound settlement of the long-pending issues of the 1947 displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK).
The memorandum was also submitted to other BJP office-bearers in New Delhi, drawing attention to what JKSAC described as the unresolved grievances of approximately 1.3 million members of the displaced community, who, according to the Committee, have continued to await comprehensive justice, rehabilitation and recognition for the loss of their ancestral homes, properties, livelihoods and social security following the events of 1947.
The JKSAC delegation placed before the BJP leadership a detailed account of the issues confronting the displaced community, stressing that more than seven decades after displacement, several fundamental matters relating to compensation, property claims, rehabilitation, land allotment, employment, reservation, proprietary rights and political representation remain unresolved.
A major demand raised in the memorandum was comprehensive registration of property claims relating to properties left behind in POJK. JKSAC maintained that genuine claims of displaced families should be formally recorded and recognised through a transparent mechanism, enabling the Government to ascertain the extent of the losses suffered by affected families and formulate an appropriate settlement.
The Committee also sought one-time compensation for movable and immovable properties left behind by displaced families, including families which, according to JKSAC, were excluded from earlier registration. It further demanded compensation for deficiencies in land allotment and reimbursement, with appropriate interest, of the amount deducted from the earlier ex-gratia assistance towards the cost of land.
Another significant demand concerned employment and reservation for the wards of eligible POJK displaced persons. JKSAC has sought a dedicated employment and reservation package covering Government services as well as professional and technical educational institutions, arguing that the prolonged displacement and its socio-economic consequences have affected successive generations of the community.
The delegation also pressed for extension of ST-2 status/certificates to all eligible POJK displaced persons residing anywhere in Jammu province, on the analogy and basis applicable to eligible displaced persons of Rajouri-Poonch. The memorandum argued for a uniform and non-discriminatory policy under which the present place of settlement should not become a ground for denying the benefit to otherwise eligible displaced persons possessing relevant documentary evidence.
One of the most important proposals put forward by JKSAC was the constitution of a high-level Cabinet Sub-Committee of the Government of India, headed by a senior Union Cabinet Minister and comprising representatives of concerned Ministries and Departments, the J&K Government and representatives of POJK displaced persons/JKSAC.
According to the memorandum, the proposed committee should examine the entire spectrum of unresolved issues, including property claims, compensation, land-allotment deficiencies, proprietary rights, rehabilitation records, employment and reservation, ST-2 status, political representation and other pending settlement matters, and submit a comprehensive and time-bound settlement plan.
JKSAC has also sought coordinated action with the Government of Jammu and Kashmir for effective implementation of the Permanent Settlement of Displaced Persons legislation and rules notified under SRO-212, besides seeking review of the Resettlement Act, 1983 in accordance with law. Other demands include protection of the rights of displaced persons under the agrarian framework, digitisation and preservation of rehabilitation records, suitable changes concerning evacuee properties, and grant of proprietary rights over allotted houses, shops and kholas.
The memorandum also draws attention to the issue of political representation of POJK displaced persons, including the vacant/frozen Assembly seats earmarked for representatives of areas under Pakistan’s occupation. JKSAC has sought appropriate consideration of the matter as part of a comprehensive settlement of the displaced community’s long-standing grievances.
Highlighting the historical efforts made by the displaced community, JKSAC referred to its sustained democratic struggle since its formation in 1967 and recalled various representations, movements and governmental and parliamentary interventions concerning rehabilitation and settlement. The memorandum also referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee Report No. 183 of December 2014, which, according to JKSAC, recommended enhanced compensation of Rs. 30 lakh per displaced family, besides measures concerning employment and reservation.
The Committee further recalled the economic package announced in November 2015 and maintained that several categories of displaced families, particularly those living outside J&K and those excluded from earlier registration, continued to remain outside a comprehensive settlement framework.
The JKSAC delegation emphasised that the displaced community was not seeking charity but justice, recognition, equality and a dignified permanent settlement commensurate with the sacrifices of the first generation of displaced families and the hardships faced by subsequent generations.
The memorandum specifically urged the Government of India to extend ST-2 status to all eligible POJK DPs throughout Jammu province, constitute a high-level Cabinet Sub-Committee, provide a comprehensive compensation and rehabilitation package, ensure registration and settlement of genuine property claims, address deficiencies in land allotment, and provide employment, reservation and proprietary rights.
The delegation expressed the hope that the issues, which have remained pending for more than seven decades, would now receive focused attention at the highest level and culminate in a final, comprehensive and time-bound settlement of the grievances of the 1947 POJK displaced community.