By Daya Sagar
Not only subjecting them to simple economic neglects, a large number of 1947/48 displaced families from the areas of Indian state of J&K that were ‘occupied’ by Pakistan (1947 POJK DPs) have even been disowned by the J&K Government. It was in 1971 that J&K State Legislature passed The Jammu And Kashmir Displaced Persons ( Permanent Settlement ) Act 1971 Act No X of 1971 where under the families who on account of setting up of the dominions of India and Pakistan or on account of civil disturbances or fear in area of the State occupied by Pakistan have, after first day of March 1947 left or been displaced from their place of residence in such area and who have been subsequently been residing outside such area in some Indian state other than J&K have been excluded from the definition of the DPs (POJK Displaced Person ). The Jammu And Kashmir Displaced Persons ( Permanent Settlement ) Act 1971 Act No X of 1971 defines under Clause-2 the Displaced Persons : – In this Act- unless the context otherwise requires, (a) -displaced person means any person who is a permanent resident of State and who on account of setting up of the Dominions of India and Pakistan or on account of civil disturbances or fear in area of the State occupied by Pakistan has, after first day of March 1947 left or been displaced from his place of residence in such area and who has been subsequently residing outside such area in the State and also includes the successors-in interest or in-interest of any such person . How strange?
Even Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, the then Prime Minister of J&K, did feel and understood the plight and conditions of the people who were forced to flee from the areas of Jammu & Kashmir occupied by invaders / forces aided and abetted by Pakistan in October 1947 (areas like that of Mirpur fell on 25 November 1947 even after / more than one month of the day- 26th Oct 1947- Maharaja Hari Singh acceded with India ) and named them as Displaced Persons (DPs) from Pakistan Occupied Areas of J&K ( POJK DPs) vide order No. 1476-C of 1950 dated 16.12.1950 issued under his (Sheikh’s) own signatures.
While those who had left Jammu & Kashmir and had gone to new born Dominion of Pakistan ( West Punjab) on their own were termed as migrants in the same order. The people from PoJK had been displaced by raiders from their own residences and had not left their hearths in view of their having anticipated some temporary adverse social conditions like the subjects of J&K who migrated to Pakistan.
No doubt all the families / people who are referred in the order of Sheikh were those who were the State Subjects of J&K (later renamed as Permanent Residents of J&K). But the governments that followed acted quite unconcernedly and in a way disowned atleast 5300 POJK 1947 families in1971 by means of an Act of Legislature.
Although till now no any regular general registration of the Displaced Persons (Families) from POJK, through a public notice issued by J&K Government or Government of India, has been done, still the Government of J&K / India often quote the total number of families displaced in 1947 /48 from POJK whose some record / particulars are available with government of State / India as 31619 families.What to talk of taking the issues of 1947 POJK DPs with compassion, it has been so painful that those 1947 POJK DPs whose information is available with the government ( included in 31,619 families) but are staying in states other than J&K have been excluded from the definition of 1947 DPs from POJK even by an Act of J&K Legislature passed in 1971 {The Jammu And Kashmir Displaced Persons ( Permanent Settlement ) Act 1971 Act No X of 1971 }. And to add to the misery 5300 such families have been excluded by J&K Government from the proposals sent by state to GOI for making some payments to POJK DPs as ‘one time settlement’. While working out demands for Rs.9025 Cr the state government had excluded these 5,300 families (J&K State Subjects/ Permanent Residents of J&K) from the accounted for stake-holders and taken into account only 26319 families out of the half data of 31619 for the 1947 POJK DP.
No correction has been made even two years after that inspite the fact that such deficiency had been pointed out to the government. It may not be wrong to say that the issues concerning “displaced persons from the areas of Indian State of J&K (POJK DPs) as were occupied by “Pakistan” in 1947/48 are still unresolved even after nearly 69 years of their displacement and are still not being taken up seriously what to talk of taking with compassion. ….
To be continued
*( Daya Sagar is a Sr Journalist and a social activist and can be reached at [email protected])
