Jammu, Aug 13 (IANS) The Parliamentary committee on demographic changes concluded its three-day visit to J&K’s Jammu on Thursday after consultations with multiple groups.
An official statement said the Parliamentary Committee on Demographic Changes has concluded its three-day visit to Jammu, during which it held detailed consultations with government and police officials, besides meeting various community groups, organisations and delegations to gather inputs on demographic changes and related concerns in Jammu and Kashmir.
The high-level committee, headed by Justice (Retd) Prakash Prabhakar Navlekar, concluded its Jammu programme.
Justice Navlekar also paid obeisance at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi, while the remaining members of the committee returned to New Delhi.
During the final phase of consultations, Panun Kashmir submitted a detailed 500-page study on demographic changes in Jammu and Kashmir before the committee.
The delegation comprised Panun Kashmir convener Agnishekhar, chairman Tito Ganju, and representatives of the Jonaraja Institute of Genocide and Atrocities Studies (JIGAS).
The study examines demographic developments over an extended historical period and covers issues, including population patterns, migration, displacement, settlement, political representation and property ownership, besides examining the long-term consequences of displacement, particularly in the Kashmir Valley.
The committee also interacted with representatives of the Public Opinion Forum, including president Parveen Kumar Sharma and general secretary Dr Gopal Parthasarthi Sharma, who submitted a memorandum drawing attention to concerns regarding the changing demographic profile of the region. The Forum called for strict action against illegal immigrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh, including their deportation to their respective countries, while expressing concerns over what it described as potential security challenges arising from their presence in the Jammu region.
The committee had arrived in Jammu on Monday and held consultations with senior government and police officials. As part of its field visit, it also visited Jagti township, a major settlement of displaced Kashmiri Pandits, and inspected a slum area in Narwal where Rohingya immigrants are residing.
During the three-day programme, the committee interacted with representatives of several communities and organisations, including refugees from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), West Pakistani refugees, Team Jammu, Gorkha Samaj and Valmiki Samaj.
The Central government had constituted the high-level committee in May to examine demographic changes in different parts of the country arising from illegal immigration and other abnormal reasons and to recommend appropriate measures to address such developments.
The committee is headed by Justice (Retd) Prakash Prabhakar Navlekar and includes Census Commissioner Mritunjay Kumar, former IAS officer Durga Shankar Mishra, former IPS officer Balaji Srivastava and economist Shamika Ravi. The committee’s Jammu visit provided various stakeholders an opportunity to present their concerns, studies, memoranda and recommendations before the panel.
The submissions are expected to form part of the committee’s broader assessment of demographic changes and associated social, political and security issues.
–IANS
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