Under the auspices of the Jammu Province People’s Forum, a global event titled “Punya Bhumi Samaran Sabha” will be held on May 8, 2022, at the premises of Government Women’s College, Gandhi Nagar in Jammu, to raise awareness of the seventy-five years of suffering endured by innocent Hindu-Sikh families of 1947 Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir displaced persons (POJK DPS), who have been uprooted from their homes since 1947; as well as to pay homage to the martyrs who were killed during the great displacement of 1947.
It is well known that the Pakistani army’s direct foray into Indian territories, which began on October 22, 1947, resulted in the vast forced relocation of the innocent Hindu-Sikh inhabitants from the erstwhile Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir areas of Mirpur, Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Sadhnoti, Poonch, Gilgit and Baltistan etc. The then State Controlling agency was unable to deal with the situation as a result of Pakistan’s devastating attacks. The well-trained Pakistani army broke into the homes of the innocents and began murdering defenceless Hindu and Sikh residents. Even little toddlers and womenfolk were not spared by the Pakistani forces’ brutality. They were forced to flee, leaving behind everything they had. Their grandiose structures were crumbling to the ground. Mothers and sisters not only made history by self-immolating, social burial, jumping in water before falling into the hands of jihadi demons, and ingesting poison to end their lives, but they also participated with men in the struggle for social protection and put their lives in danger.
They also set a good example by transporting their tiny children to safer regions where they were placed. It is a never-ending source of motivation. The shadow of death hovered over them during the forced displacement period at every step of the journey. As a result, their bravery and sacrifices are remembered at all times. Over the last seven decades, India has constantly resisted and exposed Pakistan’s illegal annexation of Indian territory at international forums, but Pakistan has yet to relinquish the illegally seized portions of Indian territory.
Generations of displaced people from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, both inside and outside the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir, have not only endured a terrible and arduous life but have also confronted countless problems in leading a regular life. The horrifying tales of the elderly not only serve to bolster the morale of younger generations on occasion but also serve as a reminder to fight until the last breath to reclaim those places, that is, ancestral properties, that are still under Pakistan’s illegitimate occupation. This vast forced displacement not only pushed back generations of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir displaced persons and victims but also compelled them to struggle for the future of their tiny children, who were rescued from the clutches of both Jihadists and Pakistani forces.
One can imagine how the victims of this massive displacement felt for a long time, as thousands of displaced families yearned for food, shelter, and rehabilitation. During the displacement and aftermath, the former State of Jammu and Kashmir administration failed to address the needs of the victims, including failing to provide basic facilities to practically all displaced families.
Although rehabilitation camps were set up in several locations, the authorities at the time failed to offer basic services to the suffering population. The rehabilitation assistance provided to the displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir by successive governments was so inadequate that it has a very poor track record of implementation to date.
Even after nearly seventy-five years, the genuine issue of the 1947 Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir displaced persons, as well as all those areas of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir that are still under Pakistan’s illegal occupation, remains alive. It is the responsibility of the younger generation who are members of the displaced families of the victims of the 1947 holocaust to come together and attend the Punya Bhumi Samaran Sabha and to pay tributes to the martyrs who lost their lives fighting and defending the country’s territories in that great displacement, being organised by the Jammu and Kashmir people’s forum.
