Nasir Azam
Srinagar, May 5: The delimitation commission headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice (retd.) Ranjana Desai has recommended to the Central government to make provision for nomination of at least two members from the community of Kashmiri migrants in the Legislative Assembly of Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory.
In its report, the panel has recommended to the Government of India to make legal provision for nomination of at least two members (one of them must be a female) from the community of Kashmiri migrants in the Legislative Assembly.
As per its recommendation submitted to the central government, the commission has said these members may be given power at par with the power of nominated members of the Legislative Assembly of Union Territory of Puducherry.
In the Legislative Assembly of Puducherry, the Central government has powers to nominate three MLAs and their powers are similar to elected legislators.
In its report, the panel has also recommended to the Central government that it may consider giving the displaced persons from Pakistan occupied Jammu & Kashmir some representation in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, by way of nomination of representatives of the displaced persons from Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the panel, during the public hearings, it received 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,” reads the statement issued by the panel after unveiling its final report.
The Commission also said the displaced persons from PaJK also requested it to reserve a few seats for them in the J & K Legislative Assembly.
