April 26, 2007	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 08, 1428

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

MUZAFFARABAD, April 25: Nearly two hundred Kashmiris affected by the October 2005 earthquake staged a token hunger strike here on Wednesday against what they called the apathy of authorities towards their plight.

The hunger strikers sat along the road in Chattar, opposite to key government offices, including the supreme and high courts, for more than four hours until some officials persuaded them to call off the strike.

Earlier, they chanted slogans and demanded compensation for their damaged houses, an increase in monthly allowances and provision of land. “We are living in miserable circumstances after the earthquake but the authorities seem to be least concerned about our plight," said Uzair Ahmed Ghazali, a leader of the Pasban-e-Hurriyat, an organisation that represents Kashmiri migrants.

The Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) was paying compensation to the owners of quake affected houses but Mr Ghazali alleged that more than 1,800 Kashmiri families were yet to be given any monetary aid even after a lapse of one and a half year.

Another refugee leader, Zahoor Ahmed Butt, pointed out that Kashmiri migrant families living in rented buildings in the town were given no compensation in spite of losing all their belongings in the quake tragedy, adding that the number of such families was around 300.

Mr Ghazali said that AJK Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan had announced an increase in the monthly allowance of every refugee from Rs1000 to Rs1500 around five months ago, but the order was yet to be implemented.

He warned that if their demands were not met within a month, the refugees would stage a ‘hunger strike unto death’ in front of the AJK premier's office on May 25.