JAMMU, Jun 16: Describing the plight of the displaced families from Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) as one of the most painful and unresolved chapters in the history of independent India, Chairman of the National Sikh Front (NSF), S. Varinderjeet Singh, today urged the Government of India to take an early and compassionate decision on the long-pending recommendations concerning their compensation and rehabilitation.
In a statement issued here, Singh said that thousands of families from Mirpur, Muzaffarabad, Bhimber, Kotli, Poonch and other areas of PoJK were forced to leave behind their ancestral homes, agricultural lands, businesses, properties and cherished memories during the tragic events of 1947. Many witnessed bloodshed, violence and untold suffering before undertaking a painful journey into an uncertain future.
“These families did not abandon India; they sacrificed everything to remain with India. They lost their homes, wealth, livelihoods and even their homeland, but never lost their faith in the Indian nation,” Singh said.
He recalled that after reaching Jammu and other parts of the country, the displaced families spent years in refugee camps and temporary settlements, enduring poverty, hardship and uncertainty. Despite overwhelming odds, they rebuilt their lives through hard work, honesty and perseverance and made valuable contributions towards the development of society, Jammu & Kashmir and the nation at large.
Singh regretted that although successive Governments and various committees examined their grievances from time to time, most recommendations remained confined to official records. Referring to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on the issue, he said that the Committee had acknowledged the immense suffering of the displaced families and recommended a one-time compensation of Rs 30 lakh per family as a humanitarian measure. However, only Rs 5.5 lakh per family was subsequently disbursed under the rehabilitation package, leaving the larger issue unresolved even after the passage of several years.
“Nearly a decade has elapsed since the disbursement of the rehabilitation package. Thousands of first-generation refugees have passed away while waiting for justice. Today, their children and grandchildren continue to carry the burden of a displacement that occurred nearly eight decades ago,” he said.
The NSF Chairman appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Government of India to take a statesmanlike view of the issue and address the long-pending demands of the displaced families in a spirit of justice and national responsibility.
“The story of PoJK displaced families is not merely a tale of lost property and abandoned homes; it is a saga of sacrifice, patriotism and unfulfilled justice spanning nearly eight decades. No nation can truly honour sacrifice while overlooking those who sacrificed everything for its unity and integrity. The nation owes a moral, historical and constitutional obligation to these forgotten patriots, and the time has come to translate sympathy into meaningful action,” Singh asserted.