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| Sons of India, orphans of system | | No policy yet for rehabilitation of West Pak refugees | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Mar 18
Hundreds of questions and as many answers over 50 years but neither the state government nor the central government has ever assured with a single word that what exactly they want to do with the West Pakistan refugees.
They are declared as “citizens” of India, living in Jammu and Kashmir but have no rights to own properties or take government jobs. They can not vote for the state legislature though their voting right for the Parliament elections comes in handy for the political parties to promise them rehabilitation.
They can vote for Parliamentary elections but are barred from exercising their franchise in Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls.
This predicament is being faced by 1.5 lakh people who migrated from West Pakistan to Jammu and Kashmir. They are treated as Indian citizens but with several "disabilities" like barring them from taking government jobs.
In reply to a written question in Lok Sabha today, Minister of State for Home Manik Rao Gavit said that in 1947, as many as 5,674 families comprising 47,215 people migrated and settled in Jammu, Kathua and Rajouri districts. At present, the number of families has gone up to 24,200 and 1.5 lakh people.
The Minister informed the House that these refugees could not acquire property in Jammu and Kashmir state, could not mortgage the land in their possession for raising of loans and were not allowed to take up government jobs.
The Scheduled Castes among these refugees could not avail the reservation quota and their children were not entitled for admission to government professional or technical educations institutions in the state, he said.
In response to a query, the Minister said the issue of "disabilities" suffered by the refugees is the concern of the government of Jammu and Kashmir. |
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