Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 23: MJR-47, an organisation of displaced persons from PoK have demanded at least one- third ( 8) seats, out of the total (24) reserved for PoK people in the State Assembly.
In a meeting of executive members of MJR-47 held today, the speakers discussed issues related to reservation in Assembly and resolved to strongly take up the issue with the J&K Governor to immediately sanction 1/3rd of Assembly seats kept reserved for POK in proportion to the population that has shifted in Indian part of J&K State.
The J&K Legislative Assembly was initially composed of 100 members later increased to 111 by the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir (12th Amendments) Act of 1988 of these 24 seats are designed for the territorial constituencies of the state that were administered by Pakistan after 1947. These seats remained officially vacant as per section 48 of the State Constitution.
As per J&K constitution, twenty five (25) J&K Assembly seats were kept reserved for population of the areas illegally occupied by Pakistan, now called PoK. These Assembly seats were kept reserved as it was not possible for India to hold Assembly elections there for want of its control on ‘POK’ area.
However, one seat out of 25, was de-frozen for “Mendhar” tehsil of district Poonch in 1988-89 by J&K Assembly, thus, leaving 24 seats for POK, Pakistan illegally occupied area of J&K state.
Due to this decision, the people who escaped in the tribal raid of Pakistan and migrated to Indian part of J&K state took refuge here have been virtually denied the right to vote for their own candidates despite being class-I State subjects of J&K.
The population of POJK 1947 ‘DP’ which is over 13 lakhs at present have been casting their votes in all Assembly and Parliamentary elections for candidates who contest from the areas where ever they are living but not for their own candidate. The result is that the PoJK 1947 DPs remains virtually unrepresented both in J&K Assembly as well as in Indian Parliament. Due to this reason, they are aggrieved, didn’t get constitutional fundamental right and justice, even their final rehabilitation is still pending till date.
Unlike the valley migrants who migrated from valley in 1989-90 have been casting their votes for their candidates of their area in valley, though living outside the state, for which necessary arrangements are made by election commission In Jammu, Delhi or elsewhere wherever they are living at present.
They requested to defreeze (8) eight Assembly seats out of 24 seats kept reserved for POK areas to restore justice so that all the three regions.
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