1 lakh Hindus have fled from Jammu: Panun Kashmir Movement
Nagpur | Sunday, Dec 16 2007 IST
http://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/India/20071216/849815.html
Claiming that one lakh Hindus have fled from Jammu because of the threat from terrorists, the Panun Kashmir Movement (PKM) has demanded that the Central government to issue a white paper on the situation in the state.
Speaking to reporters here yesterday, PKM President Ashwini Kumar Chongu said that Hindus had become displaced from Jammu as terrorism had spread to that region, too. With four lakh Hindus having already fled from Kashmir, the total number who had become displaced from Jammu and Kashmir have touched five lakh, he claimed. The situation in Kashmir was very serious and if not tackled immediately, could threaten the very integrity of the entire country, he said.
The government should create an independent homeland for Hindus within Jammu, towards the north and east of the river Jhelum, as a union territory (UT), Mr Chongu demanded. The government should change its policy on Jammu and Kashmir, immediately initiate the process for the resettlement of displaced Hindus back into the state and take steps to tackle terrorism effectively, he also demanded.
Replying to questions, Mr Chongu rejected the idea of plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir. The instrument of accession signed by the rulers of Kashmir in 1947 was ‘full, final and binding’ and was identical to the ones signed by other princely states that joined India after independence, he said. Besides, plebiscite had never been suggested for the other states that acceded to India in 1947, he pointed out.
Mr Chongu was in the city as part of the ”Sankalp Yatra” (awareness campaign) that PKM started from Srinagar last month, and which will conclude in Jammu on December 28. The campaign was being carried out to create awareness about the problem in Kashmir and to mobilise support for those affected, from various parts of the country, he said.
During their two-day stay in Nagpur, the participants of the Yatra visited the historic Deekshabhoomi where Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar converted to Buddhism over 50 years ago, the memorial of Dr K B Hedgewar, the founder of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), as well as the Dragon Palace Temple, a Buddhist shrine near here.
The ”Yatra” will visit Nanded and Pune before proceeding to Pathankot (Punjab), Mr Chongu told newsmen. The participants would travel on foot from Lakhanpur to Jammu on the last stage of the Yatra, he added.
— (UNI) — 16BY24.xml
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