JAMMU, Oct 1: President of the Jammu Kashmir Sharnarthi Action Committee (JKSAC) Gurdev Singh today briefed the media on the outcome of the Committee’s recent visit to New Delhi, undertaken to highlight the long-pending demands and grievances of the 1947 displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).
Addressing a press conference, Gurdev Singh said a JKSAC delegation had travelled to the national capital to organise a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar, for which the requisite communication regarding the programme had already been made. However, upon reaching New Delhi, the delegation was informed that Section 144 had been imposed at Jantar Mantar and adjoining areas, because of which the proposed protest could not be held as planned.
Gurdev Singh said that despite the development, the delegation decided not to allow the Delhi visit to become merely a cancelled protest programme. Instead, the JKSAC pursued its broader objective of placing the long-pending issues of PoJK displaced persons before the national leadership and concerned authorities.He said the JKSAC had separately written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the President of India, seeking appointments with them so that the delegation could personally submit its detailed “Hamari Awaaz Suno” memorandum and apprise the national leadership of the concerns of the displaced community.
However, Gurdev Singh said that no meeting with the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister or President could be convened during the visit. He added that the reasons for the non-scheduling of the meetings were best known to the concerned offices.“Even though the meetings could not materialise, we did not return empty-handed. We ensured that the collective voice of the PoJK displaced persons reached the offices of the highest authorities,” Gurdev Singh said.
He disclosed that he personally managed to submit a book containing the signatures of over one lakh PoJK displaced persons in support of their long-pending demands at the offices of the Union Home Minister and the President of India.Describing the signature book as a significant democratic representation of the displaced community, the JKSAC President said the signatures reflected the collective aspirations of a large number of families who have been seeking a comprehensive resolution of their issues for decades.
Gurdev Singh said the JKSAC delegation also succeeded in securing a meeting with BJP National Spokesperson and Rajya Sabha Member Dr Sudhanshu Trivedi at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi. During the meeting, the delegation submitted its detailed “Hamari Awaaz Suno” memorandum and apprised him of the historical background, present circumstances and long-pending demands of the 1947 PoJK displaced persons.
The delegation also submitted a memorandum of demands to Naveen Sinha, Coordinator at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, urging that the long-pending issues of PoJK displaced persons be taken up with the appropriate authorities and pursued towards a comprehensive settlement.The JKSAC President further announced that, during the Delhi visit, Surjit Singh Azad was nominated as JKSAC Coordinator for New Delhi. He said Azad would facilitate the Committee’s efforts for pursuing the cause of PoJK displaced persons in the national capital and coordinate with PoJK displaced persons residing in Delhi and surrounding areas.
Gurdev Singh said the appointment would help strengthen coordination among the displaced community in New Delhi and ensure that their concerns, representations and demands are systematically conveyed to the concerned authorities and political leadership.The memorandum, he said, seeks a comprehensive, permanent and time-bound settlement of the issues confronting the displaced community. Gurdev Singh maintained that the JKSAC’s demand is not confined to temporary relief or isolated measures but is aimed at securing a comprehensive settlement that addresses the outstanding concerns of PoJK displaced persons in a structured and time-bound manner.
He said the passage of nearly eight decades has not diminished the community’s demand for justice. Rather, successive generations of displaced families continue to carry the legacy of displacement and expect the Government of India to address their unresolved concerns through a clear and permanent policy framework.The JKSAC President said the 1.5 lakh signatures submitted to the offices of the Union Home Minister and the President represented much more than a numerical figure. According to him, every signature reflects the expectations of a displaced family and the collective demand that the issues of PoJK displaced persons be addressed with seriousness and urgency.
He said the decision to submit the signatures and memorandum through available institutional channels demonstrated the JKSAC’s commitment to pursuing its demands through peaceful, democratic and constitutional means.Gurdev Singh also said the JKSAC delegation apprised Dr Sudhanshu Trivedi of the community’s long-pending demands and requested that the concerns raised in the “Hamari Awaaz Suno” memorandum be taken up at the appropriate level.
He asserted that the inability to hold the Jantar Mantar protest due to the restrictions did not weaken the resolve of the organisation. Rather, the delegation used the Delhi visit to directly approach important national institutions and political leadership and formally place the community’s demands on record.The JKSAC President said the organisation would continue its efforts to ensure that the concerns of the 1947 PoJK displaced persons remain on the national agenda. He reiterated that the Committee would pursue its demands through sustained democratic engagement with the Government of India, political leadership and other concerned institutions.
Gurdev Singh expressed gratitude to all PoJK displaced persons who supported the Delhi programme and participated in the signature campaign, saying their unity had strengthened the JKSAC’s efforts to present a collective and documented voice before the national leadership.He said the Delhi visit had therefore provided another platform for the JKSAC to underline that the community continues to await a comprehensive, permanent and time-bound settlement of its long-pending issues and would continue to pursue the matter with determination through democratic and constitutional channels.