DALOGRA (RAJOURI): In order to give a fresh momentum to their ongoing struggle, S.O.S International—the only registered organization of Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) displaced persons—on Sunday announced that it would compile fresh data on all the families displaced from PoJK in 1947 to determine the exact numbers of voters and non-voters in the community.
The organization said the process will be completed before the conduct of Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir—first after the abrogation of Article 370—to ensure that the community plays a decisive role in the electoral exercise to get fair and better treatment from power corridors.
“We have decided to compile fresh data on all the families displaced from PoJK in 1947 to know as to how these families have grown and multiplied over the years. The people have been asked to bring their data vis-à-vis the number of family members, children, and elders they have in their families to determine the exact number of voters and non-voters among the community,” said Rajiv Chuni, Chairman SOS International while addressing a largely attending meeting of PoJK community members in Dalogra area of Rajouri district.
The senior refugee leader said the collected information, to be received from different channels, would be computerized and shared with the Government of India, including the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister shortly.
“The sole motive of the exercise is to chalk out future strategies for the community. Our demands are still being projected on the basis of the families that got displaced from PoJK in 1947. Consequently, the displaced families which have multiplied over the years remain deprived of their due benefits. This data will help us in strategizing about the community’s future, leveraging insights from the data to articulate fresh demands to the new central government,” Mr Chuni said.
He also announced the formation of committees at the village level to strengthen their ongoing movement. “These committees aim to unite displaced families, fostering awareness and participation at the grassroots level,” he said. Mr Chuni outlined a hierarchical structure—from village to district level—ensuring effective coordination and amplification of the community's voice before the Assembly polls.
“The village committees will bring all displaced families on a single platform and report to the block-level committees which will coordinate at the village level to create proper awareness among the displaced families and make them part of this ongoing movement. The block-level committees will be supervised by Zila committees at every district level for better coordination. The Zila committees will report to our central office at Bakshi Nagar. The whole exercise will be completed before the conduct of Assembly polls so that we will be able to raise our voice with full force in the coming electoral battle,” Mr Chuni said.
The refugee leader lamented that the community, despite having a presence across different parts of J&K and other parts of the country, is suffering due to a lack of unity among displaced families and urged community members to set aside differences and stand united in their advocacy efforts. “Our community members need to set aside their differences, if any, based on caste, creed and religion. They should come forward on a single platform and unitedly raise their voice. It will yield good results if the displaced persons get united,” he said.
The refugee leader regretted that no political party has cleared its stand on the demands being raised by the displaced PoJK families despite the fact that elections on Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat are scheduled to be held now.
“All political parties, including BJP, have maintained a criminal silence on our demands. The political parties and their candidates should not forget that they are under scrutiny of the displaced families of PoJK. It is high time for them to publicly announce their full support to all major demands of PoJK displaced persons if they are serious about getting our votes in Rajouri and Poonch districts,” he said.
Mr Chuni, who was authorized to devise a strategy over the role of PoJK displaced families in the current Lok Sabha poll in the region, said that every individual displaced person has a concern that the refugee community has been overlooked and discriminated against by successive regimes. At the same time, political leaders exploited them for their vote bank only. “This time, we won’t tolerate such treatment,” he said, adding “We will take a call in the larger interests of our people and our community”.
He said the PoJK community votes would be the deciding factor in the victory of any contesting candidate and the political parties must not forget it. The refugee also regretted that the comprehensive financial package, announced by the then cabinet of the Jammu and Kashmir government in October 2014, for PoJK displaced persons has not been implemented in toto.
“The package was an outcome of the decades-long struggle of community leaders. We demand that the Government of India should religiously and in principle fulfill the package and implement it without any further delay,” Mr Chuni said, “all political parties including BJP have maintained an indifferent attitude to the implementation of this package. The BJP despite having a double engine government at the Centre and in J&K failed to implement the package in letter and spirit”.
Mr Chuni said, “It is the Lieutenant Governor-led administration’s indifference that has badly affected the implementation of this package. The BJP government claims that it is working on the ‘Sabka Saath Sabha Vikas’ formula but we are yet to see the ‘Vikas’ (development) of our community. It is the Kashmiri displaced persons who have benefited most in the BJP regime but our community has been ignored and overlooked for reasons better known to the BJP people at the Centre”.
Others who addressed the gathering are Kewal Ram, V K Datta, Ved Raj Bali, Capt Ravinder Raina, Sharda Devi, Rajinder Sharma, Jyoti Swaroop, Adv. Anil Salgotra, Ashok Sharma, Jagjit Singh, Daleep Singh Chib, Pritam Sharma, Ex Sarpanch Dheeraj Sharma, Pt. Satish Sharma, Satinder Dev Gupta, Akash Sharma, Er. Vishal Sharma, Dr. Daleep Choudhary, Advocate Rajesh Sharma Raju presented vote of thanks.
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