POK DPs: Those at & From LOC : W PAK Refugees ::Absolutely Neglected & Discriminated
Daya Sagar Sharma
March 04, 2011
The state of Jammu and Kashmir as ruled by Maharaja Hari Singh and that acceded to Indian Dominion on 26th October has remained in focus of the people of different shades and opinions right since the day it acceded to India. The state was administered by the Prince in a very logistic planned and considered manner. The state had been segmented into three administrative units purely on the basis of the geographic, ethnic, cultural and administrative needs : 1. Jammu Province 2. Kashmir Province 3. Ladakh District region ( under the Governor of Kashmir Province but under direct supervision of a Wazir e Wajarat ( District Collector). J&K comprised of a majority of muslim population but the religion was no consideration for deciding the geographic domains of the Provinces.
1. Inview of 1947 partition of India and after October 1947 Pakistan sponsored tribal attack on J&K, a large population from the affected areas was displaced from those areas and these people were termed as the Displaced persons from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir { J&K} POK DPs by the then Government headed by Sheikh Mohd Abdullah. Since after the January 1949 cease fire , the POK areas have not been still retrieved back, the POK DPs have still not been able to go back to their homes. Most of the POK DPs were non muslims . Even those who belonged to cold climate areas in POK ( like Muzaffarabad) were made to settle in Jammu Province only. Almost all the POK DPs were settled in Jammu Province and some of them also went outside J&K to other Indian States.
These POK DPs have remained Neglected all these years.
No claims of the properties left behind by them in POK have been given to them like other refugees from Pakistan.
There has been no regular exercise done by GOI or J&K for registration / number count of the families displaced from POK and those killed during the disturbance. Only registration done has been for those who qualified for ex gratia relief ( amount was very small ) and submitted for applications. The number of such applicants ( not invited for general registration ) was around only 31600 as per the official sources. Many who went outside J&K in 1947 have remained totally unattended.
No any special assistance like reservation in services, reservations in educational institutions, subsidies on financial supports from financial institutions etc has been given to them.
Even the small ex gratia assistance in 1960s was adjusted against small accommodations provided to them.
POK DPs have now started complaining of Discrimination against them in addition to neglect of their cause after 1990 migration of people of Kashmir Valley and have started demanding even additional compensation for no timely support ( as has been provided to Kashmiri Migrants) provided to them over the years and (i) reservations in services and education (ii) economic back up like loans / subsidies etc (iii) the accumulated appreciated value of assets left behind by them in POK ( they can surrender the property valley rights in favour of Government ). Many POK DPs who went outside J&K could not even carry STATE SUBJECT CERTIFICATES while running for life in 1947. They should be given SSC/ PRC on the basis of camp registrations they had in 1947/48.
2. India has fought wars with Pakistan in 1965, 1971 and 1999. Most of the people who got affected due to these wars belonged to Jammu Region and Ladakh region. As regards Jammu Region India surrendered some more areas to Pakistan , particularly Chammb area, as after affect of 1965 / 1971 wars and a large number of people of J&K were displaced from Chammb areas . Here too bulk of them were non muslims. The question liberation of POK as of 1947 has still remained unresolved till date and instead some mores have been surrendered to Pakistan.
Affected people are all Permanent Residents of J&K ( subjects of J&K).There are two broader categories of people who had been / have been suffering due to Indo – Pak LOC/ International Border conflicts.
Cat-1 > those who have faced regular dislocations / disturbances.
These people have not lived peacefully for last six decades. They have been forced leave their homes and lands very often. They have been provided some short term surviving assistances and have been many a times asked to go back even when the conditions had not fully improved. Some reservations in services / education were provided to people living in ALOC/ LOC. But no support worth making them sustaining the regular socio economic losses have been provided to them. This need a detailed study so that they are got compensated for the neglect meted to them so far.
Cat-II >those who have been permanently uprooted from their homes ( like Chammb refugees) :
These people were provided some compensation in kind after the permanent dislocation was caused to them officially. Here too no regular agency has been engaged by government to estimate the loss they suffered and hence the compensation given to them has to be still tested. More so not Non Governmental Organisation from JK / at national level / international level too has done any study on their cause.
These people had remained disturbed for decades even before they left Chammb and hence were economically and educationally backward. These people hence need be supported with special support for education, trade, employment and services . Hence they too fall in the category of most neglected people of J&K.
3.There is another class of people living in J&K over the last more than six decades and they are the people who did not belong to J&K State of Maharaja Hari Singh but had entered the State inview of the communal turmoil that India suffered in 1947, particularly in the divided Punjab. The Maharaja of J&K and the then interim Government of Sheikh Mohd Abdullah was very considerate and sympathetic in giving them shelter and refuge in J&K. They are commonly understood as West Pakistani Refugees. These people are living in J&K since last six decades. When they came to Jammu they were not State Subject.
When they came to Jammu from Pakistan they were under lot of agony and pressure of communal apathy they had faced. For more than three decades they had no time as well environment where they could value the implications of their non being sate subject of J&K. For their survival they lived on local trade / private jobs etc. After some years they realized that their children can not take admission in professional colleges of State not can they join government service nor can they buy property in J&K. The politicians kept on giving them assurances that they would be granted State Subjects, but it has happened so far. They are qualified Indian Citizens, they can vote for Parliament elections. But they can not vote for J&K Legislature elections.
Even Maharaja Hari Singh had granted PRC ( State Subject Certificate ) to some people as a special case but J&K Government that has carried with the PRC definition as ordered by Maharaja Hari Singh has not been considerate enough to accord PRC to 1947 Refugees from West Pakistan ( 1947 West Punjab ) even after 6 decades of stay here. GOI has too neglected their cause and not at all impressed upon the J&K Governments to accommodate them. They could termed as the most neglected Indian citizens living in J&K.
( * Daya Sagar is a Sr coloumnist of Kashmir affairs and a social activist dayasagr45@yahoo.com 9419796096)
1. Inview of 1947 partition of India and after October 1947 Pakistan sponsored tribal attack on J&K, a large population from the affected areas was displaced from those areas and these people were termed as the Displaced persons from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir { J&K} POK DPs by the then Government headed by Sheikh Mohd Abdullah. Since after the January 1949 cease fire , the POK areas have not been still retrieved back, the POK DPs have still not been able to go back to their homes. Most of the POK DPs were non muslims . Even those who belonged to cold climate areas in POK ( like Muzaffarabad) were made to settle in Jammu Province only. Almost all the POK DPs were settled in Jammu Province and some of them also went outside J&K to other Indian States.
These POK DPs have remained Neglected all these years.
No claims of the properties left behind by them in POK have been given to them like other refugees from Pakistan.
There has been no regular exercise done by GOI or J&K for registration / number count of the families displaced from POK and those killed during the disturbance. Only registration done has been for those who qualified for ex gratia relief ( amount was very small ) and submitted for applications. The number of such applicants ( not invited for general registration ) was around only 31600 as per the official sources. Many who went outside J&K in 1947 have remained totally unattended.
No any special assistance like reservation in services, reservations in educational institutions, subsidies on financial supports from financial institutions etc has been given to them.
Even the small ex gratia assistance in 1960s was adjusted against small accommodations provided to them.
POK DPs have now started complaining of Discrimination against them in addition to neglect of their cause after 1990 migration of people of Kashmir Valley and have started demanding even additional compensation for no timely support ( as has been provided to Kashmiri Migrants) provided to them over the years and (i) reservations in services and education (ii) economic back up like loans / subsidies etc (iii) the accumulated appreciated value of assets left behind by them in POK ( they can surrender the property valley rights in favour of Government ). Many POK DPs who went outside J&K could not even carry STATE SUBJECT CERTIFICATES while running for life in 1947. They should be given SSC/ PRC on the basis of camp registrations they had in 1947/48.
2. India has fought wars with Pakistan in 1965, 1971 and 1999. Most of the people who got affected due to these wars belonged to Jammu Region and Ladakh region. As regards Jammu Region India surrendered some more areas to Pakistan , particularly Chammb area, as after affect of 1965 / 1971 wars and a large number of people of J&K were displaced from Chammb areas . Here too bulk of them were non muslims. The question liberation of POK as of 1947 has still remained unresolved till date and instead some mores have been surrendered to Pakistan.
Affected people are all Permanent Residents of J&K ( subjects of J&K).There are two broader categories of people who had been / have been suffering due to Indo – Pak LOC/ International Border conflicts.
Cat-1 > those who have faced regular dislocations / disturbances.
These people have not lived peacefully for last six decades. They have been forced leave their homes and lands very often. They have been provided some short term surviving assistances and have been many a times asked to go back even when the conditions had not fully improved. Some reservations in services / education were provided to people living in ALOC/ LOC. But no support worth making them sustaining the regular socio economic losses have been provided to them. This need a detailed study so that they are got compensated for the neglect meted to them so far.
Cat-II >those who have been permanently uprooted from their homes ( like Chammb refugees) :
These people were provided some compensation in kind after the permanent dislocation was caused to them officially. Here too no regular agency has been engaged by government to estimate the loss they suffered and hence the compensation given to them has to be still tested. More so not Non Governmental Organisation from JK / at national level / international level too has done any study on their cause.
These people had remained disturbed for decades even before they left Chammb and hence were economically and educationally backward. These people hence need be supported with special support for education, trade, employment and services . Hence they too fall in the category of most neglected people of J&K.
3.There is another class of people living in J&K over the last more than six decades and they are the people who did not belong to J&K State of Maharaja Hari Singh but had entered the State inview of the communal turmoil that India suffered in 1947, particularly in the divided Punjab. The Maharaja of J&K and the then interim Government of Sheikh Mohd Abdullah was very considerate and sympathetic in giving them shelter and refuge in J&K. They are commonly understood as West Pakistani Refugees. These people are living in J&K since last six decades. When they came to Jammu they were not State Subject.
When they came to Jammu from Pakistan they were under lot of agony and pressure of communal apathy they had faced. For more than three decades they had no time as well environment where they could value the implications of their non being sate subject of J&K. For their survival they lived on local trade / private jobs etc. After some years they realized that their children can not take admission in professional colleges of State not can they join government service nor can they buy property in J&K. The politicians kept on giving them assurances that they would be granted State Subjects, but it has happened so far. They are qualified Indian Citizens, they can vote for Parliament elections. But they can not vote for J&K Legislature elections.
Even Maharaja Hari Singh had granted PRC ( State Subject Certificate ) to some people as a special case but J&K Government that has carried with the PRC definition as ordered by Maharaja Hari Singh has not been considerate enough to accord PRC to 1947 Refugees from West Pakistan ( 1947 West Punjab ) even after 6 decades of stay here. GOI has too neglected their cause and not at all impressed upon the J&K Governments to accommodate them. They could termed as the most neglected Indian citizens living in J&K.
( * Daya Sagar is a Sr coloumnist of Kashmir affairs and a social activist dayasagr45@yahoo.com 9419796096)
Print
Email
