Jammu: While announcing its final award the Delimitation Commission on Jammu and Kashmir has recommended the reservation of seats for the displaced Kashmiri Pandits and refugees from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The Commission has not given out any seats to these communities from its final award of 90 seats and has instead recommended to the Government to make provisions for nominations. If the Government of India accepts these recommendations, the matter may have to be taken to the Parliament for approval as the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act provides for only 90 seats.
Full Report: Delimitation Commission unveils final print for J&K Assembly Constituencies
The Commission said that during the public hearing, the commission received a number of representations from the Kashmiri migrants and the displaced persons from Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The delegations of Kashmiri migrants represented before the Commission that they were persecuted and forced to live in exile as refugees in their own country for the last three decades. It was urged that in order to preserve their political rights, seats may be reserved for them in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and Parliament. The Displaced persons from PoJK also requested the Commission to reserve few seats for them in J&K Legislative Assembly. Accordingly, the Delimitation commission also made the following recommendations to the Central Government.
Reservation for Pandits, PoK Refugees
- Provision of at least two members (one of them must be a female) from the community of Kashmiri Migrants in the Legislative Assembly and such members may be given power at par with the power of nominated members, of the Legislative Assembly of Union Territory of Puducherry.
- The central Government may consider giving the Displaced Persons from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir some representation in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, by way of the nomination of representatives of the Displaced Persons from Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
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