* Projects issue of J&K Sikhs
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 26: Head priest of Dera Nangali Sahib, Poonch, Mahant Manjit Singh projected the demands of Sikh minorities before Home Minister of India Amit Shah during his recent visit to Jammu at Digiana Ashram.
While addressing press conference here today, Sudershan Singh Wazir Chairman Sikh United Front J&K said that the memorandum submitted by Mahant Manjit Singh had details about the past and present situation and the difficulties being faced by the minorities in J&K, especially the Sikhs and in a very forceful manner the demands of the community were projected before the Home Minister in the form of a memorandum.
Wazir further said that the issues enumerated in the memorandum included defreezing eight seats from the PoK reserved assembly seats and earmarked them for the displaced persons/refugees of 1947 and formulation of special provision through Delimitation Commission for creating Assembly constituencies both in Jammu & Kashmir for Sikh minority.
The memorandum laid stress especially on the issues of Kissan Andolan and called upon the Government of India to immediately resolve the issues of farmers by engaging in a dialogue as the farmers have been protesting on the roads of India for the last about 11 months and a number of lives have been lost. The memorandum further stressed to resolve the farmers issue at the earliest.
They also demanded grant of Relief & Rehabilitation package to POJK Displaced Persons of 1947 on similar lines as are being given to internally displaced persons of Kashmir (Kashmiri Migrant) and Constitution of Separate Relief & Rehabilitation Development Board of POJK 1947; inclusion of Punjabi in the list of official languages of J&K Union Territory notified a few month back; Constitution of Minority Commission and declaring Sikhs as Minority in J&K, enactment of Sikhs Anand Karaj Act with Anti-Conversion Law in J&K on similar lines as enacted in the States of Uttar Pradesh & Madhya Pradesh; appointment of a Sikh as Advisor to Lieutenant Governor of J&K UT; appointment of a Sikh as a member in J&K Public Service Commission; special employment drive for Sikhs in J&K UT in view of their adverse socio-economic backwardness and extension of employment benefits under Prime Minister’s Employment Package to non-migrant Kashmiri Sikhs also.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
