JAMMU: Former Sikh legislatures and other public representatives on behalf of entire Sikh community have demanded reservation of five seats for the minority Sikh community in J&K.
Former Sikh legislatures of J&K including – Harbans Singh, Tarlochan Singh Wazir, Manjit Singh, Arvinder Singh Micky, Charanjit Singh Khalsa and DDC Member, Taranjit Singh Tony while addressing a joint press conference in Jammu, demanded reservation of three (3) Assembly seats in Jammu province and two (2) seats in Kashmir for the minority Sikh community in present delimitation process in J&K and said we have resolved to jointly put forth the aspirations of minority Sikh community before the visiting team of Delimitation Commission. Sikh leaders said that after 1947, 1965, 1971, due to unplanned, abrupt and discriminative rehabilitation of minority Sikh community, mostly the refugees of Poonch, Muzaffarabad, Mirpur Kotli and Chhamb has resulted in scattering of our population and consequently, it dashed our representation and voice in Legislative Assembly.
“Due to lack of proper political representation in Assembly the minority Sikh community has been deprived of their fundamental rights and consequently despite being a minority as per Minority Commission Act 2C of 1992, we have been deprived of minority status. Similarly, the community could not get Anand Marriage Act in J&K and most recently the exclusion of Punjabi language from J&K Official Languages Act 2020, lack of any educational, economical and proper rehabilitation programme for refugees and also lack of our proper representation in employment and decision making bodies has posed great threat to our culture heritage and fundamental rights in Jammu & Kashmir,” they regretted.
Sikh leaders said that in Sikhim one Sangha Legislative Assembly seat has been reserved for Buddhist Monks and this constituency is not bound by geographical boundaries, then similarly some seats can be reserved for minority Sikh community in Jammu and Kashmir. Similarly Article 2.3 of UN declaration of rights of minorities ensures the participation in decision making process at National and regional levels where they live and mandates the State to protect the existence and the ethnic, cultural, religious, linguistic identity of minorities in their respective territories.
They appealed the visiting Delimitation Commission members to take serious notice of our democratic and fundamental aspirations and make necessary recommendations to the concerned quarters for reservations of five Assembly seats in J&K for Sikh community in J&K.
