Jammu: Opposition parties in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Monday staged a walkout over the issue of failure of grant of citizenship to West Pakistani refugees in the state. Members of opposition parties BJP, Jammu and Kashmir national Panthers Party and Jammu State Morcha raised the issue of discrimination with West Pakistani refugees and failure to grant them citizenship rights even after their living in state for the past six decades. The members sought a reply from the government as they alleged that the government was mum over the issue of citizenship rights of this community who had migrated from West Pakistan during 1947.
The members resorted to noisy scenes and protests over the fate of the refugees and failure of the government to address their grievances.
However, Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone intervened and said that government is looking into the matter.
Later, the entire opposition except PDP, staged a walkout from the House over the issue.
PTI