STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: West Pakistan Displaced Persons on Wednesday celebrated the approval of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha led Jammu and Kashmir administration to grant them proprietary rights on state land.
The Administrative Council, which met here under Sinha’s chairmanship on Tuesday accorded sanction to grant proprietary rights on state land in favour of West Pakistani displaced persons along with displaced persons of 1965.
This shall significantly empower thousands of (refugee) families across Jammu region…the decision fulfills demand of all connected families, which have been requesting for ownership rights since the past so many decades,” an official spokesman said.
Post J&K Re-organization Act 2019, domicile rights have been conferred by the Centre to the West Pakistan Displaced Persons. “Vesting of proprietary rights to West Pakistan Displaced Persons on State land would bring them at par with the displaced persons of Pakistan-Occupied J&K and their long pending demand will also be fulfilled,” the spokesman said.
The administrative council also approved conferment of proprietary rights upon displaced persons of 1965 in respect of state land.
The government has always remained committed to provide benefits to the displaced persons of 1965 as has been granted to displaced persons of 1947 and 1971, the spokesman said.
He said the revenue department shall ensure that proper safeguards are built in the operational guidelines to prevent any misuse particularly unauthorized encroachments on the state land.
Pakistan Refugees Action Committee president Laba Ram Gandhi thanked the Lt Governor for the decision and said the news has brought smiles on the faces of the community living in different parts of Jammu for the past over seven decades.
“We are very happy about the development. The land was already with us, some of which was given by the government for our settlement or earned by our people through hardwork. Some two years back, the land was taken away from us and included in state land,” Gandhi said.
Gandhi, who led a celebratory rally at Maharaja Hari Singh Park, said the decision of the Lt Governor administration came as a big relief to the community which was left disappointed and approached the government for redressal of their grievances.
“With granting of proprietary rights over land, we are now the true citizens of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, adding as per the official records, there were 5,764 families who migrated from West Pakistan into India and settled in Jammu and Kashmir in 1947. Gandhi said over 46,000 kanals of state land was given to the displaced community, which had always felt discriminated against before the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
“Before 2019, we were only eligible to vote in the parliamentary elections and had no say in assembly or local body elections. The time has changed and we have got our genuine rights. We can now vote in panchayat and assembly polls and even put up our candidates,” he said.
They distributed sweets and raised slogans in praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sinha.
