Boosted by the High Court verdict on their long outstanding and repeatedly projected demand of doing away with the Durbar move the Dogra Sadar Sabha (DSS) welcomed the High Court verdict in a press conference amidst strict observance of restrictions and social distancing.
President DSS and former minister Th. Gulchain Singh Charak called it grand landmark verdict that may impact the history of J&K bringing solace, comfort and justice to both the regions of the UT who were deprived of governance for more than seven months and save the fruitless draining of well over Rs 200 Cr per annum. He said, the decision taken by Maharaja Ranbir Singhji during 1872 was to Checkmate Russian designs in Afghanistan; promote economic interests and road connectivity up to the northern borders; that needed close and physical supervision in those days of poor transportation. The DSS demands that after a successful trial this year the Secretariat should continue to function simultaneously in both the capitals i.e. Jammu and Srinagar whole year.
Dogra Sadar Sabha also considered the latest developments in J&K. Th. Gulchain Singh Charak expressed deep concern on revival of insurgency in Kashmir Valley and repeated losses of valuable lives of armed forces personnel. All members of DSS demand a very strong punitive action against Pakistan.
The DSS while paying tributes to the Corona warriors expressed deep pain on the loss of 1583 lives in this pandemic and wished for early recovery of the affected population throughout the country. Members observed two minute silence for the martyrs Col Ashutosh Sharma, SM, Maj Anuj Sood, Two NCOs of RR, One SI of JKP and three CRPF Jawans as also for all the Corona victims.
Th. Gulchain Singh Charak pointed out that the nation has lost over five thousand brave soldiers to keep J&K united and at peace in face of internal hostilities and external attacks. Over one hundred brave warriors have been honoured by various gallantry awards in past seven decades for displaying extra ordinary valour and gallantry in face of death; mostly posthumously.
Their sacrifices are adored, praised and forgotten after few weeks. He pointed out that it is an irony that erstwhile J&K state permitted a designated grave yard even for the terrorists in Kashmir, called ‘Majar-e-Shouda, Eid Gah at Srinagar, but there is no memorial for the Five thousand martyrs of our armed forces who left their nationwide homes to defend and protect the disturbed J&K State (now UT) made supreme sacrifices and never returned. DSS demands a graceful befitting national level war memorial be made for these martyrs at a prominent place commonly visited by tourists like the Boulevard Road or besides the Moghul Gardens overlooking the Dull Lake or near the Tulip Garden in Srinagar. The DSS further Demands that the families of these martyrs and the gallantry awarded warriors should be honoured by UT’s domicile rights as being offered to central services officers only for serving in the UT. The names of brave warriors and martyrs from the J&K UT should be added in the existing War Memorial at Balidan Stambh which should be periodically updated.
The distinguished gallant warriors and widows of the nation who made sacrifices in J&K may be given a flat in the J&K UT Housing Board Schemes at a place of their choosing within the UT along with those who are from within the UT as earlier State subjects. The Director Sainik Welfare Department should offer various facilities and schemes also to the families of martyrs who do not belong to UT but have laid down their lives in J&K. These devoted warriors are a pride national property; their families are national responsibility and the UT of J&K where they have come and fought for, owe the bigger share of this responsibility and must honourably and gracefully come forward to fulfill it. Col Dr Virendra K Sahi, Vir Chakra informed that the Bangladesh Government holds an
annual function to honour the Indian brave gallant warriors and martyrs who lost their life in Bangladesh soil. The warriors and families are invited and richly honoured by Bangladesh Government meeting all expenses of air tickets and high class hospitality. We should adopt this custom and invite ten-fifteen of them in turn on the accession day every year.
The former minister explained Pakistan’s evil design for annexing Gilgit-Baltistan which must be thwarted. He recalled that it was Dogra Sadar Sabha (DSS) that raised objections to Pakistan’s holding mock elections there in 2009-10 and DSS projected it to the then Central Government; but the reactions from Delhi were Luke warm and ritualistic.
The proposed China Pakistan Economic Corridor can tilt trade balance in South Asia with global ramifications; therefore needs strong reaction at international forums. This attains greater importance now when the whole world is suffering death and commercial losses due to the KOVID-19 menace sparked off from China. Now Pakistan is under heavy debts and obligations under China and it may barter away more of PoJK territory added with Gilgit-Baltistan to China.
Our forces must pre-empt any such move and restore entire PoJK before it is too late and we are forced to confront two enemy nations simultaneously. The world opinion is against China and Pakistan is crumbling under its own created poverty and radicalism. This situation must be exploited to our advantage to resolve the PoJK issue and allied insurgency once for all by retrieving our own complete J&K territory illegally held by Pakistan.
DSS also expressed their concern over the 28,000 of J&K Citizens stuck in various states and some abroad. Many of them are in miserable condition and rendered penniless. Some have ailing family members or unattended minors to take care. DSS requests the UT government to facilitate their return. He cited as to how the political leadership of Ladakh has taken a strong stand for their people in other States. However, the leadership in J&K seems to be in slumber or at ease and unconcerned. Th. Gulchain Singh Charak said similarly the labour of other states stuck in J&K should be facilitated to return since the normalcy and their re-employment seems a far cry with increasing number of cases in J&K.
Thanking the media, the Carona warriors, the police and central forces for their fight against KOVID-19 he reminded the hon’ble Lt Governor to considered the effects of untimely rains, hail storms, Kovid-19 lockdown and the combined impact on agriculture, daily wagers, small tourism related business, transporters, hospitality related traders, industry and provide for some compensation proportionately to these sectors.