JK News Today
New Delhi, December 28
The Centre has asked the Jammu and Kashmir Government to widen the scope of the Identity Card issued to West Pakistan Refugees in the state enabling them to apply for all the Central government services and not just the armed forces.
According to West Pakistan Refugee leader Labha Ram , who is in the national capital to plead for more welfare and job avenues for the fellow refugees who are living as refugees in Jammu and Kashmir despite their nearly 70-year long in the state , this decision was taken at a high level meeting chaired by MOS in PMO, Dr. Jitendra Singh.
The instructions were delivered to the state government this evening at the conclusion of the meeting in which various aspects of West Pakistan refugees were discussed threadbare. It is learnt that the officials of the ministry of home affairs, especially those dealing with Kashmir affairs, were also present in the meeting so that there is no scope of any confusion.
As per the latest decision, the West Pakistan Refugees will be able to compete for jobs in the railways, post offices, airlines, Kendriya Vidalyas, and all other Central government services.
Earlier, they were entitled for recruitment in the armed forces only.
Their ID card, which specifies the details of their homes in West Pakistan from where the fled during the horrible days of Partition in 1947 , has become a bone of contention. The Kashmir- centric parties National Conference, Congress , CPI-M , PDP are opposing issuance of any sort of ID card or domicile certificate to nearly 1.5 lakh West Pakistan refugees , who have been living a wretched life in Jammu and Kashmir as they have been denied all rights and also the access to basic necssities.
