Excelsior Correspondent
RAJOURI, Jan 19: The SOS International, an organization of refugees from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), has warned the political parties against interfering with the only reserved seat for PoJK refugees.
It passed a unanimous resolution that any attempt to politicize this seat would not be tolerated and the PoJK refugees would be forced to launch a district-level agitation to oppose any such move.
A large number of people from PoJK while braving the biting cold gathered under the banner of SOS International at Bathuni in Rajouri district today to demand political empowerment for their community.
Addressing the gathering Rajiv Chuni, Chairman SOS International, regretted the long-standing neglect of PoJK refugees by political parties, saying “Politicians, whether PM, CM, MPs, Ministers or MLAs, have failed to address our plight and bring us out of the current morass,” he said.
He issued a stern warning to political parties, asking them to refrain from interfering with the reserved Assembly seat. “We have passed a unanimous resolution that any attempt to politicize this seat will not be tolerated. Our agitation, which started in Rajouri today, will extend to Jammu, Samba, Kathua and other districts if any attempt is made to reap political benefits out of this sole seat reserved for PoJK refugees. We are determined to reach every household and mobilize against any such moves,” Chuni declared.
“It was resolved that at least eight seats out of the 24 reserved for PoJK must be allocated to our people who fled PoJK in 1947. We achieved a small success in 2006 when the Wadhwa Commission recommended reserving eight seats for PoJK refugees living in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere,” he added.
The senior refugee leader also pointed to the 2014 report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee, chaired by the former vice president of India and former BJP national president Venkaiah Naidu, which endorsed the demand for eight seats, even suggesting constitutional amendments if necessary. “The report was tabled in both the House of the Parliament in October 2014 but remains unimplemented,” he said.
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