Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 17: On 22nd day of their ongoing indefinite chain dharna, the PoK Displaced Persons organized a candle light demonstration under the banner of SOS-International, led by its chairman Rajiv Chuni.
The candle light demonstration was joined by a large number of PoK DPs of different age groups from various parts of the State, who vowed to continue the ongoing struggle till the logical conclusion. They raised slogans against the Government and also in support of their demands, which include implementation of the whole package passed by State Cabinet in October 2014 for PoK DPs and providing facilities to all displaced people at par with Valley migrants.
They were also demanding reservation of eight Assembly seats for people displaced from PoK, permit PoK DPs to visit their religious places in Pak occupied Jammu Kashmir, inclusion of 5,300 PoK DP families living outside the State in the ambit of package passed in October 2014 and return of cash deposits with interest to PoK DPs lying with J&K Bank Mirpur.
While addressing the gathering, Rajiv Chuni said that the candle light demonstration was intentionally organized during the day time to apprise the incumbent Government at the Centre as well as the Governor’s Administration in J&K about their blindness towards the plights of PoK Displaced Persons.
“We are sitting on indefinite dharna for the last 22 days notwithstanding severe cold but no one from the Governor’s office, which is barely three kilometers away from here and BJP headquarters at 5-kms visited us till date to know about our plights,” he said.
Alleging step motherly treatment with PoK DPs by the successive Governments in the last 70 years, Rajiv Chuni demanded equal treatment to all DPs at par with Kashmiri migrants. He said that the PoK DPs were still living in miserable conditions as no Government took initiative to rehabilitate them. “We are not begging but demanding our genuine rights,” he said and threatened to further intensify the ongoing agitation if the Government does not consider their demands.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
