Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 19: Old age displaced persons from erstwhile parts of Jammu and Kashmir (Now PoK) today said that any attempt to distort our historic heritage will not be tolerated.
In joint press conference here today, Prof NN Sharma, Prof JS Mangal, VK Datta, Parveen Kumar Bali, Gurmeet Singh Isher, Col OP Bakshi and others alleged that under a well-knit conspiracy, a plot is being created to spoil the case of PoK DPs as some handful Kashmiri migrants in a form of delegation recently approached Government for the reopening of Sharda Peeth (Temple) in Muzaffarabad and the same was immediately recommended by the BJP Central Minister to Home Ministry for consideration.
They said that there are various religious places in PoK include Nageshwer Maha Dev located in the village Graha, where there was a holy spring and every year we used to organize a Besakhi Mela at this place; Devi Gali and Plangi Devi were another important Hindu Shrines apart from the Dera of Sant Bhai Rocha Singh, a Sikh shrine of Rawalakote, Chhati Patshahi at Niluchi in Muzaffarabad, Gurudwara Ali Begh in Bhimber, Khoiratta in Kotli, Mangla Temple in Mirpur and Sharda Temple in Muzaffarabad and we have demanding to visit these religious places for the last seven decades.
“We have made our demands before various successive Governments but nobody took trouble to act upon. PoK DPs also knocked the doors of every political party but all turned deaf ear to it. As it a known fact that Sharda Peeth does not belong to only one community as the Goddess is worshipped by all the Hindus of Jammu and Kashmir and rest of the country. PoK DPs once were the inhabitants of PoK and if any religious place is situated there, then, the inhabitants of that specific region have their right over it. It is known fact that PoK DPs used to live in Muzaffarabad then how a specific community claiming their right over this specific temple which is known as Sharda Peeth. Kashmiri Pandits have nothing to do with Sharda Peeth as this issue is being erupted deliberately to derail the cause of PoK DPs”, they said.
They further said that in 1994, Parliament of India has passed a resolution that PoK belonged to J&K India will get it vacated. But for the last more than 7 decades nothing has happened. The PoK DPs are still living in sub-humane conditions since long and haven’t got compensation from Government like Kashmiri Pandits who are getting monthly cash compensation of Rs 10000, free ration, free accommodation, reservation in Government jobs, reservation in technical and professional colleges across the country and many more. Why is Government adopting the discriminatory approach between KPs from Valley and DPs from PoK?” they asked.
“We warn BJP led Government not to make any attempt to distort our historical heritage, “ they maintained.
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