Enraged over their exclusion from the Rs 80,000-crore economic package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, an emergent meeting of the executive body of the West Pakistani Refugees Action Committee (WPRAC) is called on Tuesday to devise strategy to “fight the battle on the streets”.
“Our executive committee will sit together at our headquarters at Swankha Morh in Samba on November 10 to discuss the Prime Minister’s package”, Labha Ram Gandhi, a visibly dejected convener of the WPRAC, told. “We had pinned our hopes on the Prime Minister’s economic package because the BJP leadership had repeatedly assured us that our long-pending issues would be included in the package,” Gandhi said.
According to an official document issued by the authorities, an amount of Rs 5,263 crore has been sanctioned under security and welfare of displaced people. “This includes amount towards jobs for Kashmiri migrants, rehabilitation of families from Chhamb and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), construction of houses, and setting up of five India Reserve Battalions. The India Reserve Battalions will create 4,000 jobs for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir,” the handout mentioned.
Gandhi said the future course of action would be announced after going through the official document regarding the package. “After the announcement of the package, some BJP leaders have sought to clarify that our issues would be addressed as the component of “security and welfare of displaced persons” but the real picture would be emerged only when the government issues official document regarding the package,” he said.
The helpless West Pakistani refugees, who have been living in J&K without basic fundamental rights, had pinned their hopes on the Prime Minister’s visit because the BJP leadership had assured them, from time to time, that solving their issues was a priority of the party.
“The BJP should learn a lesson from Bihar. Betraying people would prove dearer to it”, Gandhi warned and disclosed that the West Pakistani refugees would take to streets soon in support of their long-pending demands.
Enraged over package, West Pak refugees to devise strategy today
