Reserve 8 Assembly seats for PoK DPs: Morcha

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 21: Pak occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) Sanghrash Morcha has demanded that out of the 24 seats, at least eight seats be kept reserved for the displaced persons from Pak occupied Kashmir.
In a meeting of the Morcha held here today under the chairmanship of Dr Narinder Singh, its convenor, the members discussed the pending issues of the refugees from PoJK. While referring to the news item appearing in a section of press regarding a draft package of Rs 7000 crore prepared for the refugees as one time settlement, they said if the Union Government is so serious in resolving the issues of the PoJK refugees it should provide at least eight assembly seats to the displaced community members out of total 24 frozen after 1947.
They said the Morcha has presented woes and sufferings of the refugees before the Parliament Standing Committee on Home Affairs at Delhi in July this year and many other fora on certain occasions but nothing has been done so far in this regard. And if the Government is so honest and sincere, it should defreeze at last eight assembly seats in favour of the members of this displaced community. The members pointed out that the population of these members have now crossed even 12 lakhs.
Dr Singh demanded that the State Government must provide state subjects and the conditions like ration cards and entry in voter lists for the families residing outside the State like Punjab, Delhi or Himachal. The procedure should be made simple for such cases. He also demanded that West Pakistan refugees be issued PRCs as they have been disturbed from their places by the Government and have not migrated on their own will.