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| Will Delimitation Commission for JK defreeze seats reserved for refugees? | | Parliamentary panel, BJP leaders advocated political representation to refugees | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Mar 7: With the constitution of three members panel headed by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai for delimitation of assembly and parliamentary constituencies in Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, hopes have been pinned among Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK) refugees about defreezing of seats reserved for them.
The POJK refugees have been awaiting political representation for the last over 70 years since their migration from the areas occupied by Pakistan in the year 1947. In the last seventy years several government panels as well as politicians across the spectrum have raked up the issue of giving political representation to them but for no avail.
Refugee leaders informed Early Times that according to J&K Re-organization Act 2019, Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory has a total of 114 seats out of which 24 seats are reserved for Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POJK), while election will be held for 90 seats.
These 24 reserved seats have been kept reserved for the last over 70 years since our migration from Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK) areas. Earlier the J&K state had a total of 111 seats out of which 24 were kept reserved for POJK refugees and elections were held for 87 seats. Now with the constitution of Delimitation Commission, out of these 24 reserved seats, seats proportion to the population of refugees should be defreeze, a refugee leader said.
Around 1/3rd of the total population of the refugees, which account for over 10 Lakhs of the total population, have been residing in the areas of Jammu region. The Joint Parliamentary Committee headed by Chairman Venkaiah Naidu, in the year 2014 had recommended for political reservation to POJK refugees, while when Rajnath Singh was BJP president in first Rashtriya Karyakarini meeting had advocated for keeping 8 seats out of 24 reserved seats in JK assembly, for POJK refugees, Secretary of MJR-47 Om Parkash Khajuria said.
He further said that it was the long pending demand of refugees to get political representation but so far apart from assurances, nothing has been done by the successive governments.
Sources further said that even the BJP state leaders have also been advocating for reservation to the POJK refugees. “This demand must be taken into consideration without any further delay and the Delimitation Commission should take a decision on the matter, which has been lingering on for the last over 70 years now”, another refugee leader said, adding that the political parties of all spectrum should clear their stand on the demand of the refugees., who have been awaiting rehabilitation for seven decades now. |
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