POK Refugees Demand Participation in Round Table talks

Jammu, Feb 22 (UNI) Terming themselves as 'first and the natural party' to the Kashmir issue,the representatives of 12 Lakh refugees from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) today demanded they be allowed to participate in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Round Table conference in New Delhi on Saturday.

Criticising the Prime Minister's move Mr Rajiv Chuni, the Chairman of SOS International, an organisation of refugees from POK, said here today In a press meet, that the PM's proposed Round Table conference once again exposed the unilateral approach adopted by the government of India to deal with the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.

It has wounded the feelings of over 12 lakh politically orphaned, socially and economically uprooted populace- the PoK refugees, who are the first and natural party to any solution of the Jammu and Kashmir problem, Mr Chuni said.

Blaming the Congress leaders right from the beginning for their problems, he said the government has not learnt even the primary lesson from past mistakes. In this well planned and consistent neglect of this sub-ethnic group, three generations have been lost and the fourth is in the offing to face the brunt and humiliation. This unfortunate community was the first to face the onslaught of religious fanatics and barbarians led by Pakistani army in 1948 but there has been nobody to decide their fate for 58 years, he alleged.

The worst part of the problem is the betrayal by the Chief Minister.

We condemn the gameplan to corner the issue of PoK refugees to the back burner, he said.

UNI HGV ML LS VC1720