Reserve LS, RS seats for Gilgit, PoK: Bill

New Delhi, March 5

A BJP MP has moved a private member’s Bill in the Lok Sabha, seeking reservation of five seats in the Lower House as well as one in the Rajya Sabha for residents of Gilgit and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

“It is a matter of extreme surprise that the Lower House does not take into account this territory, whereas the Legislature of Jammu and Kashmir keeps 25 seats vacant for the territory which is under illegal occupation of Pakistan,” said Nishikant Dubey, who has piloted the Bill.

“It would be proper that seats provided for the Jammu and Kashmir area, which is under illegal occupation of Pakistan, in the House of the People (Lok Sabha) are kept vacant as elections cannot be held in these areas,” he said.

Dubey expects the Bill to be taken up during the second phase of the Budget session of Parliament starting from March 9.

The legislation asks for an insertion of new Article 370A, after Article 370, in the Constitution of India, to add five Lok Sabha seats and one Rajya Sabha seat.

However, these seats would be kept vacant as elections cannot be held in these areas.

Dubey had tried twice to introduce this Bill, once in November 2014 and in February 2015 again, but on both occasions the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha disallowed it.—PTI