West Pakistan refugees hold protest against passage of special status resolution in J&K Assembly

JAMMU: West Pakistan refugees on Thursday took out a protest march here against the Omar Abdullah government over the passage of a resolution in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on the restoration of the erstwhile state’s special status.

The protesters also demanded the implementation of Article 371 of the Indian Constitution in J&K.

They said that the ruling National Conference and valley-based parties are fooling the people of Kashmir with fake promises of restoring Article 370, which has been permanently abrogated after the Supreme Court of India upheld the Centre’s 2019 decision.

Led by the West Pakistani Refugees Association president, Labha Ram Gandhi, hundreds of refugees assembled in Jammu city from various areas of Jammu and Samba districts and held protests against the resolution.

Carrying national flags, they shouted slogans against the NC, its leaders, and Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary, stating that no power on the earth can restore Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

“It is a drama by the NC and Kashmir-centric Muslim leadership in the valley. We condemn their actions to deceive the people of the valley with a fake promise to restore Article 370. They had promised people to bring back Article 370 during elections. Neither can it be brought back, nor can anybody bring it back,” Gandhi told reporters here.

He said Article 370 has been scrapped by the Parliament and endorsed by the Supreme Court of India. “They are deceiving the people of Kashmir,” he said.

Gandhi strongly advocated for the imposition of Article 371 in J&K, saying, “It (Article 371) is applicable in Himachal Pradesh. You should fight to implement Article 371 in Jammu and Kashmir. We have no problem with it.”

Gandhi also emphasized that the lands and jobs of the people should be protected.

Article 371 of the Constitution grants special powers to certain states. These powers are intended to protect the interests of these states, especially those with distinct cultural identities or tribal populations.

Yudvir Singh, another refugee, lashed out at the NC and its leadership for targeting them by trying to revoke their citizenship through such actions, stating, “They primarily want to target us because West Pakistan refugees, Valmikis, and Gurkhas are all Hindus.”

“NC and Kashmir-centric leaders should stop fooling people over Article 370. They should know it was permanently nullified with a final stamp by the Supreme Court of India,” he added.

The displaced community, around two lakh Hindu families, arrived in J&K from West Pakistan in 1947. For decades, they lived in the region without many of the rights and privileges enjoyed by local residents, including the right to vote in assembly elections.

Amidst uproar, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly passed a resolution on Wednesday asking the Centre to hold talks with elected representatives for the restoration of the erstwhile state’s special status.

As soon as the assembly proceedings began, J&K Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary moved the resolution for restoring the special status of J&K, which was revoked by the Centre on August 5, 2019.

BJP members, including Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, opposed the resolution, stating it was not part of the listed business. (PTI)