JAMMU, Aug 24: Displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) held a protest rally at Maharaja Hari Singh Park, Jammu, demanding the resolution of their long-pending rehabilitation and settlement issues.
The protest was held under the leadership of PoJK DPs Front President Captain (Retd.) Yudhvir Singh Chib, along with General Secretary J.P. Sharma and Mahila Wing President Sakandaya Devi. A large number of displaced persons participated in the rally, carrying banners and flags highlighting their demands.
The protesters attempted to march towards the Secretariat but were stopped by a heavy police contingent near Dogra Chowk. Addressing the gathering, the leaders said that the issues of PoJK displaced families had remained unresolved for several decades and urged the administration and the Centre to take immediate steps for their rehabilitation.
One of the major demands raised during the protest was implementation of the recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), constituted in 2013. The protesters said the committee had recommended compensation of Rs 30 lakh for each displaced family, while only Rs 5.5 lakh had so far been provided. They urged the Lieutenant Governor’s Administration to take up the matter with the Centre for release of the remaining amount.
The Front also demanded allotment of agricultural land to PoJK displaced persons, particularly non-camp displaced families who, according to the protesters, had not received land for rehabilitation. It sought allotment of six acres of irrigated land or eight acres of non-irrigated land to eligible families from land recently retrieved by the government.
Another demand concerned ownership rights over agricultural land already allotted to displaced persons. The protesters alleged that despite government orders issued in August 2024 regarding ownership rights, the directions had not yet been implemented by the concerned revenue authorities. They sought immediate instructions for execution of the orders.
The Front also raised specific demands concerning non-camp displaced persons of 1971. It sought residential colonies and allotment of at least 10 marlas of land to eligible families for construction of houses, along with financial assistance under the PMAY scheme for their rehabilitation.
The protesters further demanded that welfare and rehabilitation benefits available to other displaced communities should also be extended to PoJK displaced persons who, according to them, had remained deprived of adequate support.
The Front also sought early release of compensation to thousands of eligible displaced families whose files had reportedly been forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs for payment through Direct Benefit Transfer. The protesters urged the administration to take up the matter with the Centre to expedite the pending payments.
Another major demand was greater political representation for PoJK displaced persons. The protesters claimed that despite the community’s substantial population, it had inadequate representation and demanded allocation of a greater number of seats to ensure that the issues of displaced persons could be effectively raised before the legislature.
General Secretary J.P. Sharma and Mahila Wing President Sakandaya Devi said the Front had been raising the concerns of displaced persons at various levels and would continue to pursue their demands with the administration and elected representatives.
They also referred to issues raised by BJP MLAs during the Legislative Assembly sessions in March and April 2025 and said assurances had been given regarding consideration of several demands of the displaced community.
The leaders appealed to the displaced persons to remain united and continue their democratic struggle until their long-pending rehabilitation, compensation, land and political representation issues were addressed.
Prominent participants included J.P. Sharma, Sakandaya Devi, Varinder Singh Chib, Sukhdev Singh, Kehar Singh, Master Raghunath Singh, Ch. Rattan Lal, Kulbir Singh Chib, Sham Singh Chib, Kamal Sharma, Hoshnaki Ram and Ranjit Singh Chib.