‘Continue to be non-state subjects; are issued Identity Certificates’
Srinagar: Discounting the “false and contrived impression” being created regarding the change of status of the West Pakistan Refugees (WPR), the Government today made it clear that such reports are deliberately being circulated to destabilize the situation and hit the political and economic interests of the people.
“It seems 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 said in a statement.
Akhtar said the refugees who were settled in Jammu and Kashmir in the aftermath of the partition of the subcontinent, included those from PaK and West Pakistan. “While the refugees from PaK 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 Parliamentary elections, but can’t exercise their franchise in the state assembly polls.”
He said as the WP 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 are in the same format as existing 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.
“Now when the situation has started improving in Kashmir with academic, tourism, developmental and economic activities slowly picking up again, unfortunately speculative reports are being passed around about the change of status of the WPRs to create confusion and once again fuel disquiet,” he said and urged the people not to give credence to such “unsubstantiated and disingenuous reports.”
SOME PEOPLE CREATING FUSS FOR NOTHING: BJP
BJP General Secretary (organization), Ashok Koul Thursday said there is no proposal of issuing domicile certificates to the West Pakistan Refugees (WPRs).
“Some people are creating unnecessary fuss over nothing. The WPRs are not be given any domicile certificates, but they are being issued identification certificates,” he told KNS.
Asked to explain the difference in identification and domicile certificates, Koul clarified that the WPRs are applying for jobs in paramilitary forces, since they have been living here for decades now, so they need a certificate for it.
“The concerned tehsildars will be issuing identification certificates to them after proper identification by concerned Numberdars. There is no case of domicile certificates. How can they be given domicile certificates when they aren’t the State subjects of this State,” Koul told KNS.
He said some people are creating unnecessary uproar over the issue the same way as they created over Sainik colony. “We weren’t going to settle non-state subject sainiks in those colonies,” he added. KNS