Dr. Ram Chander Sharma
Now the coalition Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir has proposed to give five lac rupees to the next of kins of stone pelters of 2006 uprising in Kashmir valley after the killing of Hizb Commander Buhran Wani on July 8 2016. But it is unfortunate that the nationalist Hindu and Sikhs refugees of Pak Occupied Jammu and Kashmir of 1947 who are running from pillar to post with begging bowl in world’s largest democracy are being offered by Govt of India a meagre one time and final settlement of Rs. 5 and half lac per family that too with conditions as laid down in application form and an affidavit attested by a Judicial Magistrate or a 1st Class Magistrate that this is one time final payment and no claims can be made after this.
Soon after partition of Indian sub continent the fate of people of Jammu and Kashmir hanged in balance as the erstwhile Maharaja of the state was reluctant to either align with India or Pakistan and wanted to remain independent. He offered standstill agreement to both India and Pakistan- latter quickly agreed and India dithered. Pakistani army with active help of radical Islamists attacked soon after. The Maharaja had to flee Srinagar and signed instrument of accession with India on 26th of October 1947 and Indian army was para dropped next day at Srinagar air port. The rest of history is filled with conspiracies, blunders and dirty politics. The then Indian Prime Minister kept Kashmir affairs with himself ignoring Home Minister and his protégé was installed as first PM of Jammu and Kashmir.
The POJK Refugees were the first sufferers of genocide after the formation of United Nations when two lac innocent unarmed ethnic and religious minorities were killed in most barbaric way by Islamist radicals and Pak. Army. Not a single bullet was fired by the marauders and axed to death- their young women were raped and children abducted and sold in Pak tribal areas. The first Indo-Pak war saw the largest migration in human history, Indian Govt. issued Displaced Persons Compensation and Rehabilita-tion Act of 1954 to rehabilitate and compensate the DPs of India except POJK Refugees in lieu of left out properties and allotment of land. But surprisingly in Jammu and Kashmir Provincial Rehabilitation Organisation was framed which registered POJKR. A total of 31800 families were registered out of which 22719 families were settled in rural areas and 3600 in urban areas of Jammu province whereas 5300 families were settled outside J&K. The cases of 9500 families were rejected on flimsy grounds and not given any land or ex-gratia payment. It is worth to mention here that the urban families were given ex-gratia amount of Rs 3500 and rural Rs 1000. The POJKR settled on their on their own in 46 camps/basties on the outskirts of Jammu city without any amenities and have now turned as filthy slums.
In year 2000 the than Vajpayee Govt. of India sanctioned Rs. 49 crores for POJKR for land deficiencies at a maximum of Rs 25000 which was later enhanced to Rs 1.5 lac. The cruel joke was rejected by the organisations of POJKR as the internally displaced Kashmiri Pandits DPs were provided thousands of crores of rupees as relief and reservations’ of their wards in professional colleges all over India thus compelling J&K Govt to constitute Wadhwa Committee in the year 2007 to recommend relief to POJKR. The said committee report has not seen the light of the day.
Again a Parliamentary standing Committee on Home affairs was constituted under chairmanship of P Bhattacharya. He was given the charge to look after the grievances all the refugees of J&K and asked to table the report in Parliament. The report recommended one time cash relief of Rs 30 lac to each family besides defreezing of 8 assembly seats in J&K assembly, reservations of wards of POJKR in professional institutes all over India, constitution of Refugee Dev Board, registration of all left out families with fresh survey and providing state subjects and voting rights to the 5300 families of POJKR residing outside J&K.
It is irony that the disbursement of PM package of 2000 cr of Rupees is for four categories of POJKR viz of 1947, wars of 1965, 1971 (camp and non camp) thus clubbing POJKR with other refugees. POJKR have no conflict with other DPs but the problems of 1947 refugees are different and need to be gauged differently. India is growing as fastest economy of the world and seeks special status in UN Security Council and Nuclear Supply Group.
The way India has tackled the Kashmir problem with series of blunders and Kashmir centric approach is continuously oppressing POJKR for the last seven decades. The only reason is their minority status in J&K and India not signing the UN Refugee Status of 1951 and its 1967 protocol. The POJKR cannot approach international UN organisations for humanitarian aid. The 2000 cr package is unacceptable to POJKR and only the recommendations of 183 standing Parl Committee report is acceptible and the organisations working for the welfare of POJKRs must reject it.
(The author is Chairman Refugees Welfare and Educational Society Sunderbani)
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel