Excelsior Correspondent
NOWSHERA, Sept 8: The SOS International, an organization of Pakistan occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) refugees, today warned all political parties not to take the community for granted and said that their votes would be crucial in determining outcome of the forthcoming Assembly elections in the Union Territory.
The organisation, under the leadership of its chairman Rajiv Chuni, held a meeting of senior members of the community in Nowshera to deliberate on their role in the upcoming Assembly elections. The meeting, in one voice, criticized all political parties for making no mention of PoJK refugees in their election manifestoes.
Addressing the meeting, Chuni said; “Upon reviewing the manifestoes of various political parties, it is evident that PoJK displaced persons, a community of 12 lakh people with 6.5 lakh voters, are barely mentioned. Only one or two parties have made passing references, which is a grave injustice to this community. No concrete promises have been made to PoJK Displaced Persons, who have consistently been overlooked in every election.”
Chuni claimed that there are 28 out of the total 90 Assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir where the community has a dominant presence and could significantly influence the outcome of elections. “Despite our significant presence, we are being overlooked, which is both unjust and discriminatory. Our influence will be particularly decisive in the second phase of elections, including in Poonch, Rajouri and Reasi districts,” he said.
The refugee leader said they will assess the commitments of each political party, individual candidate and take appropriate action accordingly before commencement of second phase of elections on September 25.
Chuni said that despite the shortcomings in every party’s manifesto, this was the moment to scrutinize each candidate’s commitments and make informed choices. “We will announce which candidates deserve our votes based on their integrity and dedication. Unity is crucial; only together can we achieve our goals,” he added and announced that the next community meeting is scheduled for September 15 at Dhanwan, near Kali Daab Bridge, on Nowshera-Rajouri highway.
Prominent among those who attended the meeting, included VK Datta, Ashok Choudhary, Ved Raj Bali, Daleep Choudhary, Gurdeep Kumar, Susheel Choudhary, Ram Singh, Sanjay Choudhary, Gurnam Singh, Jagjit Singh, DS Chib, SD Gupta, Vipan Sharma, Nitin Dutta and others.
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