Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU Jan 31: Sikh Progressive Front (SPF) today accused the JKUT administration of discriminatory attitude towards the Sikh Community.
Addressing the press conference here, Balvinder Singh president, SPF along with other members of the Front, Surinder Singh Wazir general secretary, Manjit Singh, senior vice president, Rajinder Singh Sudan, vice president recalled their meeting held with Lt Governor of JKUT on March 14 last year in which a memorandum consisting of ten demands was submitted before the LG and he had given assurance that some demands out of them will be addressed immediately. Balwinder said these demands included constitution of Minority Commission in JKUT , Installation of the Statue of Baba Banda Singh Ji Bahadhur at Kunjwani Chowk, to take initiative for the promotion of Punjabi Language in JKUT and implementation of Anand Marriage Act in JKUT, passed by Indian Parliament on June 7, 2012 in the budget session.
He said in the meeting the deputationists had informed the LG with regard to the debarring of non migrant Sikh youths of Valley from the benefits under Prime Minister Special Employment Package, whereby the then State Government added a clause stating that non migrant Kashmiri means “Kashmiri Pandits only” .
He said despite the assurances given by the LG, another glaring example of discrimination with the minority Sikh community is quite visible from the recent advertisement Notification wherein SSRB has again advertised 89 posts for migrants and non migrants “Kashmiri Pandits” under PM Special Employment package debarring the non migrant Kashmiri Sikh youth from the package.
He said as this order itself is discriminatory towards the interest of the Sikh Community of Kashmir Valley who didn’t migrate, though they too suffered the same miseries even during peak of militancy and over 150 Sikhs have also been killed in the Valley during three decades of militancy.
He said apart from the assurances given by the LG during his visit to Guru Dwara Sahib Nanak Dev Ji, Chand Nagar on the auspicious occasion of the Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji that the genuine demands will be addressed in a short time frame manner nothing was done.
SPF has urged the Sikh Community to be prepared for launching a mass agitation to get justice.
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