While the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Afghanistan had settled in prime locations in Jammu and its vicinity during the rule of successive regimes, the people of border villages of Jammu region continued to suffer for want of shelter at safer zones, said Harsh Dev Singh JKNPP Chairman and former Minister. Despite the tall sloganeering of various political parties during elections making lofty promises and assuring doles to the people of border belt, said Singh, none of the promises made by them had been redeemed after they assumed power. Having been cheated by the traditional political parties, the people of these areas were fast losing faith in the political system, he rued. He said that people should genuinely differentiate between parties that stand solely for power and those sincerely fighting for the cause of the public. He was addressing huge public meeting in Jandi village of Hiranagar constituency today alongwith Mr. Yash Paul Kundal, State President Young Panthers and Ex-Minister.
Expressing concern over the deteriorating security scenario on the borders, Mr. Singh regretted that in the wake of Pak sponsored militants creating terror, Pakistan had been opening unprovoked fire and pounding Indian posts and forward hamlets all along the IB and LoC in Samba, Kathua, Akhnoor, Poonch and Rajouri sectors leading to panic and killings of several soldiers and civilians. He said that under a devious plan to cause further mayhem in J&K and Jammu region in particular Pakistan army reportedly had brought several militants of Jem and LeT outfits at launching pads to push them into our side under the cover of shelling. He warned the Saffron party to fulfill its promise of 5 Marla of land to each family at safer zones, adequate bunkers for emergency situation, adequate ex-gratia each to the family of the person killed in Pak firing, compensation to the family of the injured, employment for the next of kin of the deceased, special recruitment drive for border youth, and adequate assessment based compensation to the farmers for the loss of their crops as relief measures.
Mr. Yash Paul Kundal said that the life of the border dwellers had been thrown out of gear who were living in a terrifying atmosphere with women and children facing the worst miseries of life. He regretted that severe lack of ambulance and emergency services besides defunct Primary Health Centers in the border villages had posed severe problems for the people with several casualties which otherwise could have been averted by timely intervention. He added that several livestock had perished during incessant firing and shelling besides heavy damage had been caused to the houses and crops of the local residents. Mr. Kundal expressed his resentment against the BJP for shamelessly doling false promises and assurances to the border residents time and again for their relief and rehabilitation and making the mockery of their painful condition. “There has been spurt in the cease fire violations on the borders post abrogation of art 370 and bifurcation of erstwhile state of J&K into two UTs. Pak rangers resorted to heavy mortar shelling at Chakra village in Hiranagar on Saturday causing heavy damage to the houses of border dwellers and triggering panic among the people. A mosque was also hit with long range mortars at forward hamlet of Shahpur in Poonch on Friday by Pakistan army killing one person and injuring others who were heading for the prayers. There is a strong resentment among the border dwellers to which the BJP govt seemed averse”, rued Kundal.