Gupta for ex-gratia to victims of 2008 Amarnath land row, Gurezi asks 'what about other refugees?'

PRESIDING OFFICERS SPEAK

JAMMU: Throwing a new challenge for the government, the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of Legislative Assembly today asked for widening the scope of compensation packages for the victims of Kashmir unrest and the Pakistan occupied Kashmir refugees to include similarly placed other people for the benefits.
Two recent packages of compensation -ex-gratia for those killed in last year's Kashmir unrest and the central supported monetary relief to PoK refugees -has reopened the question of regional divide as the packages have been tailored to cater particular situations and not the whole category of victims. The Chief Minister had on Monday announced ex-gratia for those killed in Kashmir unrest while the relief package for PoK refugees has been launched recently.
Responding to BJP Members' demand of extending the ex-gratia relief to the families of those who died during Amarnath land row of 2008 in Jammu region, the Speaker Kavinder Gupta to consider the request and. Gupta also called for reviewing and withdrawing the cases against those arrested during the agitation. He said representatives of various organizations have met him from time to time and sought his intervention in the matter to provide justice to the sufferers of the agitation.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Speaker Nazir Ahmad Gurezi directed the Government to include all the refugees living in other areas of the State including Gurez in the recently announced package for PoK refugees living in Jammu region. The direction was given by the Deputy Speaker during the debate on Discussion on Motion of Thanks on Governor's Address in the lower House today. The Deputy Speaker said there are refugees from PoK living in other parts of the State as well and they need to be included in the package announced for these people.
Earlier, while speaking in the State Legislative Assembly, BJP state president and MLA from Jammu West, Sat Sharma demanded compensation to the civilians killed in 2008 Jammu unrest sparked over Shri Amarnath land row, who are 12 in number.
"The Government should announce compensation of Rs 5 lakh and a job to those killed during summer unrest in Jammu in year 2008 at par with the compensation announced by the state government for 76 civilians killed in Kashmir unrest of 2016,'' Sharma said and added and also to a person, who lost his both eyes after he was severely injured in tear gas firing in Jammu.
MLA Sat Sharma said, "if the state Govt is ready to give compensation to families of those killed in 2016 Kashmir turmoil then why not to those civilians died in Jammu in protests.''
The BJP MLA also rued the PDP-BJP coalition government asserting that steps which demoralize the security forces should not be initiated. He added that it should be keep in mind that the morale of the security forces deployed in Jammu and Kashmir should not be hurt.
Sharma, while talking to The News Now outside the assembly also said that BJP will not stop this demand till the families of all those 12 civilians get the compensation.
It is worth mentioning that BJP then also assure the victims that it will fight for the ex-gratia relief to them and also demanded this to the previous NC-Congress coalition govt.