Srinagar, Dec 1, KNT: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in its latest election manifesto ahead of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, has pledged to extend full citizenship rights to Hindu refugees from West Pakistan living in the region. These rights would include the ability to vote in state and local body elections, access to state government jobs, the right to purchase immovable property, and eligibility for higher and technical education.
The party’s ‘vision document’ outlines its roadmap for the region’s development and promises to address the longstanding demands of refugees who arrived in 1947 from Pakistan-administered Kashmir. BJP has declared that rehabilitating these refugees will be a top priority. It also pledges compensation for refugees from the 1965 and 1971 wars, as well as for civilians displaced by border hostilities.
One of the key proposals is the abolition of the custodian department, with evacuee properties to be allotted to current occupants. The BJP has also committed to equalizing the ex-gratia compensation for victims of cross-border shelling and militancy-related violence.
For residents living near the border, the party promises special recruitment drives in Jammu and Kashmir Police and other paramilitary forces. Additionally, it plans to allot 5 marla plots in safer areas away from the Line of Control and international border.
The vision document also includes proposals to politically empower refugees. BJP plans to reserve five out of the 24 Assembly seats currently left vacant for Pakistan-administered Kashmir for these refugees. Three more seats would be set aside for displaced Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley.
On the cultural and educational front, BJP says it will ensure a dignified return of Kashmiri Pandits to their homeland and facilitate their rehabilitation. The establishment of a Sharda University and the recognition of Devnagri as an alternate script for the Kashmiri language are also part of the party’s long-term goals for the region.
