West Pakistan Refugees in J&K Granted Land Ownership Rights

By IndraStra Global News Team

Cover Image Attribute: The file photo of a Shikara (a boat) in Dal Lake / Image by Abhinav Gaur from Pixabay

In a landmark decision, the Jammu and Kashmir government has awarded proprietary rights on land in the Union Territory to West Pakistan Refugees (WPRs), whose ancestors were settled by the former state government more than 70 years ago.
The Administrative Council, chaired by J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, made this decision during a meeting in Srinagar. The meeting was attended by Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, advisor to the J&K government, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, and Principal Secretary to the LG, Mandeep K Bhandari.
This decision ends seven decades of "discrimination" against the "displaced persons from West Pakistan," granting them proprietary rights on state land similar to those given to people displaced from areas of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Officials said this move will empower thousands of WPR families across the Jammu region.
These families, previously labeled as "non-state subjects" and ineligible to vote in the Legislative Assembly elections of the former J&K state, were granted domicile status by the Government of India following the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019.
"The decision addresses the longstanding demands of all affected families, who have sought ownership rights for many decades. Granting proprietary rights to West Pakistan Displaced Persons on state land will equalize them with the Displaced Persons from POK and fulfill their long-awaited demand," said an official spokesperson.
The Administrative Council also approved granting proprietary rights to the Displaced Persons of 1965 for state land. According to an official spokesperson, the government remains committed to providing benefits to the Displaced Persons of 1965, similar to those given to the Displaced Persons of 1947 and 1971. The Revenue Department will ensure proper safeguards in the operational guidelines to prevent misuse, such as unauthorized encroachments on state land.
Official records indicate that 5,764 families from West Pakistan arrived in Jammu and Kashmir during the 1947 partition. Each family was allotted 4 acres of agricultural land and settled in Jammu, Samba, and Kathua districts. Their numbers have now grown to over 22,170 families.
Labha Ram Gandhi, a prominent WPR leader, noted that only 20 percent of these families received agricultural land. He explained that 46,666 kanals (approximately 5,833.25 acres) of land, at the rate of 4 acres per family, was allocated to them upon their arrival from West Pakistan.
Gandhi praised the decision but pointed out that only 50 percent of this land was state land, while the rest was "evacuee land" belonging to local Muslim residents of J&K who migrated to Pakistan following the 1947 Partition. He added that the administration needs to clarify its stance on the evacuee land currently occupied by the WPRs.
Previously, on June 13, 2018, the Centre implemented a scheme to provide one-time financial assistance of Rs 5.5 lakh per family to 5,764 WPR families, with a total budget of Rs 317.02 crore and a deadline of March 31, 2021, to cover these families.
However, due to the lack of authenticated proposals from the former J&K government, no financial assistance was disbursed in 2018-19 and 2019-20, prompting the Central government to extend the scheme until March 31, 2024.
Labha Ram Gandhi stated that out of the 5,764 WPRs registered in 1947, only 1,890 families have received financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each. He mentioned that he recently met with Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh to request the swift disbursement of financial assistance to the remaining families.

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