If elected to power, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) will grant citizenship rights, including right to vote in Assembly and local bodies elections, right to immovable property, right to higher and technical education and right to state government jobs to the ‘Hindu’ refugees from West Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir.BJP that released its ‘vision document for the planned development of the state’ ahead of Assembly Elections has mentioned that it will settle the genuine claims of 1947 refugees from Pakistan administered Kashmir. The document according to CNS mentions that the rehabilitation of refugees would be given a top priority and it will compensate the refugees of 1965 and 1971 and all the border migrants.
“The party will abolish the custodian department and allot the evacuee property to the occupants of the said properties. It will establish parity in the ex-gratia paid to those killed in cross border firing and militant violence. The party if elected to power will start special recruitment drive in Jammu and Kashmir Police and other belt forces for the border residents. The party will allot 5 marla plots to border residents in the ‘safe zone’ in the rear and will reserve five seats for refugees out of 24 left vacant in the Assembly for Pakistan administered Kashmir and three for displaced Kashmiri’s out of the 46 seats earmarked for Kashmir Valley,” the election document of BJP reads. The BJP document further mentions that it will initiate the process of just and honorable re-settlement of Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir and would make provisions for the establishment of a Sharda University and also the inclusion of Devangiri as an alternate script for the Kashmiri language.(CNS)