Jammu, June 20: Displaced people from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) marked International Refugee Day on Tuesday by holding a protest against Pakistan here and demanding rehabilitation.
Led by SOS International, an organisation dedicated to the cause of more than 1.8 million people from PoJK, the protesters burnt a flag of Pakistan and raised slogans against the country during the demonstration.
Speaking to reporters, SOS International chairman Rajiv Chunni emphasised the need for the rehabilitation of PoJK refugees and the implementation of a package approved by the Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet back in October 2014.
The protesters called for equal facilities for all displaced individuals, comparable to those provided to migrants in the valley.
Chunni recalled the history of the PoJK community, highlighting the “atrocities” committed by Pakistan in 1947. He expressed sorrow over the losses suffered by the community, including the displacement of families and the abandonment of their properties.
He called for the implementation of the 2014 rehabilitation package for them and the quota allocations for PoJK displaced people in professional colleges and government jobs.
Panun Kashmir, an organisation of migrant Kashmiri Pandits, voiced its support for the families of minority community members who lost their lives in the recent terrorist attack in Dangri village of Rajouri district on the occasion.
It expressed disappointment at the government’s inability to bring the perpetrators of the Dangri terror attack to justice.
Talking to reporters here, Ajay Chrungoo, Chairman of Panun Kashmir, emphasised that the notion of defeating terrorism through tourism is a dangerous misconception propagated by the Union Territory administration and the central government.
He stressed that terrorism can only be defeated by the military.
“We are fully supporting the sentiments of the families of the Hindus killed in Dangri by terrorists who recently expressed their utter disappointment at the failure of the government of Jammu and Kashmir to bring the perpetrators of the massacre to justice,” Chrungoo said.
Panun Kashmir expressed dismay at the continuation of the same policy approach by the present government, which has failed to address the persistent problem of terrorism and separatist sentiments.
The organisation pointed out that the influx of development funds, tourists, and employment drives in areas where terrorism and separatism thrive has not succeeded in curbing the menace, he said.
The disparity between the government’s claims of normalcy and the actual situation was highlighted by the recent incident where Hindu employees working in Kashmir were asked to remain away from their routine duties due to security concerns, Chrungoo said.
Panun Kashmir criticized the government for treating Hindus living in Kashmir as “caged birds” while projecting the G20 extravaganza as evidence of normalcy in the region. (Agencies)