| If Gujral, Manmohan and Advani could rule India, why can't we exercise citizenship rights? | | WP refugees' grievance | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Apr 22: The refugees from Pakistan living in Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts since 1947 are a dissatisfied lot. They are chaffing and seething with anger and accusing all the political parties in the state and all the central governments of not appreciating the nature are of problems they have been facing since their migration to Jammu in 1947.
"The Congress promised us citizenship rights, but nothing came out. The BJP promised us citizenship rights but it has also failed us, as it has not done anything for us during all these four years of rule at the Centre and three-year rule in Jammu and Kashmir. Just a lip assurance," says refugee leadership. "We visited Delhi umpteen times, met all those who matter, including the Prime Minister. All seemingly shared our pain and agony. All promised that out problem would be addressed, but nothing of this sort has happened. We are there where we are in 1947. Even the justice system has not helped us as the state enjoys a separate constitutional status that suits the majority community and hurts the minorities the most," the refugee leadership further says.
"It's strange that Inder Kumar Gujral, Manmohan Singh, LK Advani and many others, who also migrated from Pakistan to the newly created Indian Dominion, ruled India. Gujral became Prime Minister. Manmohan Singh also ruled over India for ten years. Advani rose to the status of Deputy Prime Minister," they say, adding that "they were fortunate that they didn't come to Jammu" and that "had they come to Jammu, their plight would have been similar to that of ours".
The demand of these refugees is as genuine as it deserves serious consideration. After all, they are the only segment of society in India which do not have the right to own immovable property, right to vote in the assembly and civic body elections, right to education, right to job under the state government, right to bank loan and so. The biggest obstacle in their way is the Kashmiri leadership and the support it gets from New Delhi. It has been opposing the demand of the refugees for citizenship rights since 1947 on the ground that if these rights were granted to them, the demography of the state would get altered and the special status of the state would get eroded. It's just a spurious argument coined to hurt the hapless and persecuted refugees. If the people of Kashmir could settle anywhere in the country and exercise all rights, why can't these 2 lakh-odd refugees exercise all rights in Jammu and Kashmir?
Refugees from Pakistan are hereditary Indians. They must get all the rights. They are also human beings and they have also human rights. |
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