Reserve 2 seats for Sikhs in Jammu and Kashmir: Sukhbir Badal writes to PM, HM

Chandigarh: Shiromani Akali Dal president S. Sukhbir Singh Badal today demanded the reservation of two seats for the patriotic Sikh community, in the Kashmir Valley and the Jammu province on the same pattern as granted to the Kashmiri Pandits.

“The Sikhs in the valley have endured the same destiny as their fellow minority community members in the erstwhile J and K state. As such, they deserve and need to be treated at par with their fellow sufferers.”

Mr Badal also asked the Union government to de-freeze eight seats of Pak Occupied Kashmir in favour of Displaced Persons of PoKJK living in J&K.

In a letter addressed simultaneously to the Prime Minister Sh Narendra Modi and the Union Home Minister Sh Amit Shah, Mr Badal said that the Sikh Community specially the Sikh from Jammu & Kashmir have been repeatedly making these demands along with other issues through the Sikh leaders from the state belonging to the J&K state. He said that members of the minority Sikh community have been residing in J&K since 1947 and have suffered the same hardships and torture as endured by the Kashmiri Pandits. “The Sikh Community merely wants parity with the co-sufferers, the Kashmiri Pandits.”

Mr Badal welcomed the measure of granting two seats to the Kashmiri Pandits as this would propagate inclusion of the displaced persons into the national mainstream. “But going by the spirit of the decision to include Kashmiri Pandits, the same spirit is not being applied to the Sikh Community, because 3.5 lakhs displaced Sikh community are already living in the state despite all odds.”

He said that if this “justified demand” of the Sikh community is not accepted in the same spirit as applied to the Kashmiri Pandits, then the patriotic Sikh masses will justifiably feel “utterly discriminated against”.

The SAD chief pointed out that the Sikhs of J&K have always been in the forefront of the fight against the Pak Army and infiltrators from across the border, defending Kashmir as well as the country’s territorial integrity against foreign invasions for a long time. “Even during extreme militancy, Sikhs of J&K did not flee from their state. “They instead paid a heavy price for their patriotism, sacrificing 200 lives, 36 of these in the Chittisinghpura massacre alone.”

The former Punjab Deputy CM further pointed out that the Sikhs were not only a national minority but also a minority in the J and K. with just 3.5 lakh population there. “This is almost at par with the total population of Kashmiri Pandits in number.

Apart from 3.5 lakh Sikhs displaced since 1947, there are around 16 lakh Displaced Persons of Pak Occupied J&K living in J&K. “The POJK Displaced Persons are the first Saviors of J&K state who had fought the Pak Army / Tribal raiders to defend the State and faced genocide sacrificing more than 40,000 lives, dislocation, struggle, misery etc. for more than seven decades may be granted their due representation. Out of these 16 lakhs POKJK persons, 70 percent are Hindus and 30 percent are Sikhs.

It may be pointed out that as per the Constitution in J&K, 24 seats have been kept for Pak Occupied Kashmir. Going by the population of PoKJK, if we calculate this 16 lakhs population of PoKJK which is living in J&K, around 8 seats would have to be defrozen in their favour in J&K Assembly from PoKJK side’s 24 frozen seats.