Jammu:
SOS International, an organisation of refugees from PoK, on Thursday threatened to boycott the upcoming panchayat polls if the government fails to announce the date of release of the second instalment of relief package for them.
“It is just the first instalment of relief package (for PoK refugees) and there is state of confusion also.
“Until and unless, government confirms the date of the second instalment before Panchayat polls, Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) displaced persons (DPs) won’t participate in elections,” SOS International Chairman Rajiv Chuni said.
“Moreover, they will boycott Panchayat polls because PoK DPs are not in mood to let anybody to exploit them. This is the right way to show our anxiety and anguish by boycotting from our participation in democratic practice”, he said.
The Central government had approved a Rs 2,000-crore package for refugee families from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) last year.
More than 36,700 refugee families mostly comprising Hindus and Sikhs have been living in Jammu and Kashmir.
These families crossed over to the Indian side from PoK following the wars in 1947, 1965 and 1971.
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