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| Arch rivals join hands to oppose grant of citizenship rights to West Pak refugees | | |
Jammu, May 13:
By openly siding with each other over the issue of evolving a consensus on grant of citizenship rights to 1947 refugees from Pakistan settled in Jammu for the last 60 years, the arch rivals PDP and the National Conference have apparently made it clear that they would not bend over and accept change in State's demographic character.
"We do not want to get the identity of Jammu and Kashmir and its demographic character eroded by giving citizenship rights to the Pak refugees, "said General Secretary PDP, Nizam-ud-Bhat. He said today "under the State Subject laws of 1924, which debars any non- state subject from buying immovable property or from seeking the right to vote in the Assembly election or from seeking recruitment in Government services and admission in professional colleges, we have been able to preserve our separate identity and demographic character."
Asked whether grant of citizenship rights to Pak refugees will alter the demographic character of the state, Bhat said "yes it has the potential of doing so." He explained that Jammu and Kashmir "is a Muslim majority state and once citizenship rights were granted to the Pok refugees, the State may no longer remain a Muslim majority area."
When asked to explain as to how permanent settlement of these refugees could erode special identity of the State when they had been living in Jammu for the last 60 years, the PDP leader said "India is a vast country and if the Centre wanted to ensure permanent settlement of these refugees they should be shifted to another state."
Mr Bhat had no hesitation in saying that if Sheikh Abdullah had suggested shifting these refugees to Punjab "I support his stand."
However, a former President of the state unit of the BJP, Dr Nirmal Singh, said "the Muslim majority character of the State will not get eroded if citizenship rights to Pak refugees were granted." He explained that Muslims constituted over 60 per cent of the total population of the state and if about two lakh Pak refugees were given Permanent Resident Certificates it "will not turn the State into a Hindu majority area." The BJP leader accused the valley centric PDP and the National Conference leaders of playing "communal and regional cards.” He said that in the Assembly elections in the past and during public rallies the National Conference leaders have been clamoring in favour of grant of citizenship rights to the Pak refugees and the same leaders had stayed away from the All Party meeting held in Srinagar yesterday in which settlement of Pak refugees was also on the agenda, Dr Singh regretted.
‘ Demanding demilitarization and repeal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act, the PDP had lost whatever public support it had in Jammu region and hence it planned to compensate it in the Valley by opposing the settlement of the Pak refugees, Dr Singh added.
He said several lakh refugees from Pakistan occupied Kashmir have been settled in Jammu and their citizenship rights had not altered the demographic character of the state. He wanted the Congress to adopt a
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