MUZAFFARABAD: The post-1989 migrants from across the Line of Control (LoC) issued a veiled warning to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Wednesday over the alleged non-fulfilment of their demands.

At a meeting, members of the Refugees Working Committee — including heads of refugee camps and elected councillors — urged the government to fulfil their long-ignored demand for two reserved seats in the Legislative Assembly, one each for refugees from occupied Jammu and the occupied Valley, ahead of the general elections due next year.

They also demanded an increase in the monthly subsistence allowance and allocation of funds for their resettlement in the 2025-26 budget.

The participants strongly condemned what they called the persistent neglect of the 1989 refugees by successive AJK governments.

“It is deeply unfortunate that even after three and a half decades, the condition of Kashmiri refugees remains unchanged,” read a joint communiqué issued after the meeting.

According to the communiqué, over 9,500 refugee families — comprising around 46,000 individuals — continued to live in miserable conditions in camps and rented accommodations across Mirpur, Kotli, Bagh, Muzaffarabad, Jhelum Valley, and other cities of AJK.

The participants recalled that a comprehensive ‘Charter of Demands’ was submitted to the AJK government some 18 months ago, and among its key points were proposals for resettlement, resolution of other chronic issues, as well as allocation of one Assembly seat each for refugees from occupied Jammu and the Valley. However, they lamented that no action had been taken on the document to date.

“Refugees will no longer tolerate exploitation, nor will there be any compromise on the future of our younger generation,” the communiqué warned.

The group stressed that allocation of two separate seats for post-1989 refugees would help them elect their own representatives to advocate their concerns and contribute meaningfully to the discourse on India’s human rights violations in occupied Kashmir.

The refugees also reminded Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of the commitments he made during previous meetings. These included a Rs1,500 increase in the monthly subsistence allowance and concrete steps towards their resettlement.

The group communiqué congratulated the government of Pakistan, the armed forces and Field Marshal Asim Munir on the success of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos against Indian aggression.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2025