Separatist leaders, mainstream political parties including National Conference and Congress may have been crying hoarse over issuance of Nativity/Identity certificates to the children of West Pakistan Refugees living in Jammu & Kashmir but for the deprived population of refugees the struggle for their citizenship rights will continue.
“We have won only a small battle after a gap of more than 14 years in the form of Nativity/Identity certificates. We will not rest till we receive our citizenship rights,” labha Ram Gandhi, President of West Pakistani Refugees Action Committee told The Pioneer.
Terming the propaganda unleashed by the Kashmir valley-based political parties and separatist leaders Gandhi said, it is very unfortunate that these self styled separatist leaders have been creating road blocks for our children who want to earn their livelihood by joining the Central paramilitary forces/Indian armed forces.”
Referring to the letter issued by the Union Home Ministry Gandhi said, “The issue of identity certificate was hanging in balance since 2002 and now the Union Home Ministry in consultation with the State Government has evolved a mechanism to issue Identity certificate to the children so that they could submit the same while applying for recruitment in the Central paramilitary and Indian armed forces.”
Gandhi said despite being living in State since 1947, the west Pakistani refugees have not been granted the J&K citizenship. “It is a humanitarian issue and State Government should issue us citizenship as we are the citizens of India and living in State for over six decades.”
At least 19,960 families of West Pakistan Refugees are currently registered with the J&K Government and living in Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu region”.
After the Kashmir based leaders hit the streets and launched a sinister campaign the State was forced to issue a fresh clarification claiming, “an orchestrated and misleading campaign has been launched to create an impression that the Government is changing the status of the WPR and they are being provided domicile certificates”.
Minister for Education and State Government Spokesman Naeem Akhtar in a statement said, “the refugees who settled in Jammu and Kashmir, in the aftermath of the partition of the subcontinent, include those from PoK and West Pakistan”.
“While the refugees from PoK have the status of the permanent residents of the State, those from West Pakistan are not entitled to permanent residence as they are not the domiciles of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said and added that given their present status, the West Pakistan Refugees are entitled to vote in the Parliament elections, but can’t exercise their franchise in the state assembly polls.
He said as the West Pakistan Refugees can’t apply for any job within the State, because of being non-State subjects, to facilitate them to get jobs in paramilitary forces and other Central Government establishments, the Government has issued them Identity Certificates which is in the same format as exists in the voter list for the Parliamentary polls. “Issuance of Identity Certificates does in no way change the status of the West Pakistan Refugees and they continue to be the non-State subjects,” he said.
On the other hand State Congress president Ghulam Ahmad Mir said the Chief Minister should have called an All –Party meeting to discuss the issue. “Since the issue was debatable, the CM should have called an All-Party meeting on it.