BJP vowed voting rights for West Pakistan refugees: National Conference

SRINAGAR: National Conference general secretary and former minister Ali Muhammad Sagar on Saturday said that different parliamentary committees have recommended many different things for the state — like the return of power projects to J&K, restoration of autonomy and revoking “black laws” like AFSPA from the state — but the successive governments at the Centre threw these into the dustbin.

“Now that yet another JPC has made recommendations for settling (erstwhile) West Pakistan refugees and giving them citizenship and voting rights, the Central government seems to be in a hurry to make this happen as soon as possible,” he said.

However, the refugees claim that many of them lived in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir before they were uprooted by the 1947-48, 1965 and 1971 wars between India and Pakistan.

To grant them citizenship and voting rights in the state Assembly elections, apart from monetary and other benefits, was one of the main election planks of the BJP.

Separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani had threatened to launch an agitation if the Centre granted citizenship and voting rights to WP refugees living mainly in the border areas of Jammu.

He also termed the reported move as an attack on the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and a conspiracy to change its demography and warned that if the government accepted these recommendations, then it will be resisted tooth and nail and a movement will be launched.