No more 'unwanted citizens', say West Pak refugees

Chak Jaffar (Jammu), December 4

Tears well up in the eyes of 87-year-old Lal Chand and his 82-year-old wife Trivita as they hold up their inked fingers after casting their votes in the third phase of the District Development Council (DDC) elections at a polling station here on Friday.

“Today, our wish to vote once in our lifetime was fulfilled,” said the couple.

Chand and his wife are West Pakistan refugees, who fled to India during the Partition in 1947. Along with nearly 1.5 lakh others, they became eligible to vote in Jammu and Kashmir’s local elections after the Centre abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution on August 5 last year, paving the way for granting them domicile status.

“This is first time in my life that I have cast a vote,” said Chand, who was just 14 years old when he fled from West Pakistan in 1947.

“Our last wish has been fulfilled,” he said.

Chand and Trivita weren’t the only ones ecstatic to have exercised their franchise.

Their village, Chak Jaffar, home to several other West Pakistan refugees, wore a festive look. People, old and young, danced to drum beats as they celebrated “independence” and shedding the “unwanted citizens” tag.

President of Pakistan Refugees Action Committee Laba Ram Gandhi led the celebrations and danced with other members of the community.

“We are very happy to have voted in these elections. It is a message to the entire country that justice has been done to us after seven decades. We got our independence today,” Gandhi said.

“We thank Modi ji and Amit Shah ji. We were living as unwanted citizens of Jammu and Kashmir. We had no rights, from voting to getting jobs. Now, we are proud citizens of Jammu and Kashmir. Our children will get all rights,” Sukh Ram (80), a villager, said. PTI