Sir,
Decades of turmoil and bloodshed have made Jammu and Kashmir insensitive. Why else would there be such a divide on the issue of granting domicile certificates to some 20,000 families who crossed over to India from Pakistan in the aftermath of partition in 1947?
While Kashmir centric parties such as National Conference and separatist groups like Hurriyat are opposing tooth and nail the State Government’s decision to grant domicile certificates to these hapless people, the BJP is supporting it. Reports suggest that the situation is getting communalized.
Most of the 20,000 odd stateless families are Hindus and settled down in the Jammu region. Curiously, the opposition is being voiced from the Kashmir region. The Kashmir parties are claiming that the grant of domicile certificates will change the demographic character of the state. This claim, however, falls flat as share of Muslims and Hindus in J&K population remains almost the same in 1961 and 2011 censuses.
According to official statistics, in 1961 Muslims with a population of 24,32 lakh constituted 68.31 percent of the state’s population of 35.60 lakh, while Hindus numbering 10.13 lakh made up 28.45 per cent. Half a century later, the census conducted in 1961 showed that the Muslim population stood at 85.67 lakh (68.31 per cent) out of the total population of 125.41 lakh. The population of Hindus remained at 35.66 lakh (28.43 per cent).
It is clear, thus, that the demographic changes have not taken place as a result of the Pakistani migrants. It is not for no reason that the dominant PDP agreed to grant domicile certificates to these people. Before the coalition government was formed with the BJP, the issue was reportedly settled.
Yours etc…
Devsagar Singh
on e-mail
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