Cong reaches out to PoK displaced people, wants 2014 package implemented

The Congress on Friday reached out to the people displaced from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), who were on a indefinite chain dharna here since December 27 demanding implementation of '2014 package', and urged the Centre to hold talks with them.

The displaced people from PoK have been on a chain hunger strike here against the state and central governments for not "fulfilling" their various demands including 2014 package approved by the Jammu and Kashmir cabinet in October 2014.

"Our Congress-NC government had made recommendations in 2014 by recommending a package for the PoK displaced persons involving around Rs 9,096 crore. Every family was to be given Rs 25 lakh per family and reservation of their children in professional colleges as per Kashmir migrants. But nothing has been done", J&K senior vice president of Congress and former Minister Sham Lal Sharma told reporters here.

On the contrary, the Centre announced a package of Rs 2,000 crore which too was not implemented in letter and spirit, Sharma claimed.

"Government of India (GoI) can talk to militants and those raising anti-India slogans and can release militants and stonepelters, but not to us, who are patriotic Indians to core", Sharma said.

The Congress leader said GoI should talks to them and urges Prime Minister to talk to them to fulfill their demands.

The main demand of the PoK displaced persons is the implementation of the 2014 package.

The other demands include grant of facilities to all displaced at par with valley migrants, reservation of eight seats for PoK DPs in Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly, permission to visit their religious places in PoK, return of their cash deposits lying with J&K Bank, Mirpur, with interest and bringing 5,300 PoK DP families living outside the state within the ambit of the 2014 package.

Rajiv Chuni, chairman of SOS International, an organization representing the PoK displaced persons (DP), also presented a memorandum of their demands to Sharma.