The J-K administration has initiated an exercise to allot ownership rights to West Pakistani and other refugees over 46,666 kanals of land which they were allotted in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts in 1954 after their migration from Pakistan post partition, Daily Excelsior, a Jammu based News organization reported.
The report said quoting ‘highly placed sources’ that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Jammu Kashmir administration have discussed the issue after which the Revenue Department of the J-K administration has initiated an exercise to work out modalities of allotment of ownership rights.
After abrogation of special status of erstwhile State of J&K on August 5, 2019, the Government declared West Pakistani refugees, Valmikis and Gorkhas as domiciles of Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakistan administered Jammu Kashmir (PaJK) and West Pakistani refugees were paid Rs 5.5 lakh compensation per family by the BJP Government at the Centre.
On their migration to Jammu Kashmir, the PaJK refugees were allotted plots on their names as they were treated as State Subjects. However, the West Pakistani refugees were given 46,666 kanals of land on May 7, 1954 in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts but were not conferred with ownership rights as they were not treated as the State Subjects.
The land was mostly allotted in Pargwal island in Akhnoor, RS Pura and Bishnah tehsils in Jammu, parts of Samba and Hiranagar in Kathua district besides some other places.
“The Revenue Department is working out modalities on allotment of ownership rights to West Pakistani refugees. Number of refugees and their families, total land under their occupation, status of land and other formalities are being collected and a decision on conferring ownership rights to the refugees is expected to be taken soon,” sources said.
District administration in all three districts including Jammu, Samba and Kathua has been directed by the Revenue Department to complete all formalities about total number of West Pakistani refugees and land allotted to them in 1954 or later shortly. The Revenue Department will compile the record of all three districts and finally the J-K administration will take a call.
The report said quoting sources that the administration will take a decision as soon as all requisite formalities are completed by the Revenue Department.