NSF delegation meets team of Delimitation Commission, project demands

Led by S. Varinderjeet Singh, Chairman, National Sikh Front (NSF), a deputation of the Front comprising of S. Kulwant Singh Bhatti, President of the Front and S. Gurdeep Singh, District President, Poonch unit of NSF called on the visiting team of Delimitation Commission at Jammu and a memorandum containing their demands to be looked and included in the final report of the Commission.In the memorandum, they said that Sikhs are in microscopic minority in UT-JK, but their role in the erstwhile State, now UT, has been most historic in the post and pre-independence era. During tribal raids of 1947, they were saviours of the State. It is due to their sacrifices, that major portion of State is with India despite the genocide of this community, mass killings and rendering them refugees viz Displaced Persons of 1947 in their own Country.

During all these years of militancy in the Valley, they faced mass killings, intimidation, harassment, loss of jobs, business and services but, Sikhs always worked for peace, progress and tranquillity and did not migrate like others.

But irony is that Sikhs were ignored socially, economically and politically in particular. Sikhs cannot elect their own representative to Legislative Assembly and has to depend for support of one Political Party or other who later dictates terms as it suits them.It is, as such, requested that a minimum of 3 seats of Assembly, one from Kashmir and two from Jammu, be reserved for the Sikh minority, so that they can be part of State Legislature and look after the interest of community. Such reserved seat filled by nomination.After State having been declared UT, there seems to be little chance, which was earlier available to become member of Legislative Council. But that have become bleak now thus needs consideration of our request for reservation.

Under Reorganization Act of 2019, 24 Assembly seats of JK UT have been kept reserved in area under illegal occupation of Pakistan to be so. Here also the interest of displaced people of 1947 POJK has been infringed. How about those who got displaced from POK will have their representative elected when more that 12 Lakh DPs are in State or living in other states of Indian Union.Our organisation strongly appeals that at least 8-10 Assembly seat for the Displaced Persons POK to defreeze and given to Displaced Persons as was done in case one seat of Mander, District Poonch in 1989-90.This alone will be to do justice to 1947 DPs and in general well fare of the State. It will also help to erase the regional in balance between two regions of UT and mitigate suffering of Jammu region.