MUZAFFARABAD: The post-1990 migrants from Indian-held Kashmir have given a deadline of 20 days to the federal government for an increase in their daily subsistence allowance.

“We have resolved that if the federal government does not increase our subsistence allowance, we will stage a sit-in at D-Chowk Islamabad from the 26th day of Ramazan ” said Muzammil Aslam, the president of Jammu Kashmir Refugee Welfare Organisation.

“And from the day of Eidul Fitr, we will begin our hunger strike,” he told a press conference here on Thursday.

“We hope that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will announce 200 per cent raise in our allowance before we resort to the extreme steps of sit-in and hunger strike,” he said.

Mr Aslam, who was accompanied by scores of migrants, asserted that an increase in the subsistence allowance was the basic demand of every refugee facing “myriads of problems.”

However, he said, since the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government was unable to meet that demand from its meagre resources, the central government should take up this responsibility.

He expressed the hope that not only the AJK people but also the people of Pakistan would take part in their sit-in.

“Pakistan is the centre of our hopes because hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris had also shed their blood for the Islamic republic. We are hopeful that this land of the pure will not let its devotees down,” he said. He also called upon Chief of the Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif to speak to the federal government in favour of their demand.

Earlier, Mr Aslam thanked the AJK government for giving propriety rights to the refugees of the pieces of land under their possession since the early ‘90s.

It may be recalled that early this month the refugees had staged a sit-in in Muzaffarabad for acceptance of their demands which was called off after the issuance of some notifications and other assurances by an official team.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2015

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