New Delhi: The Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal has said that a high level delegation of the party will meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to apprise them of the problems being faced by the Sikh community in Jammu and Kashmir and it will urge both the leaders to get these issues resolved as soon as possible.
Badal gave this assurance to visiting delegation of the J&K Sikhs. The J&K Sikh delegation which met the SAD President under the leadership of Manjinder Singh Sirsa General Secretary the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) was led by Mohinder Singh state President of J&K.
This delegation told the SAD Chief that it was strange that state government was completely ignoring them whereas the state owes its existence in the present form to the sikh community and its contribution cannot be ignored.
During the meeting exclusion of sikh youth of Kashmir valley in Prime Minister’s employment package for non migrant Kashmiri Pandits, implementation of Anand Marriage Act in the state as soon as possible and setting up of minority commission in the state and deprivation of sikh community was discussed threadbare.
The delegation said that sikh were facing many serious problems including non recognition as minority community in the state. They also told the party Supremo that neither they were getting benefit in government recruitments nor they are being provided the facilities meant for the minorities. They also told that those who had migrated from the POK to valley are getting benefits of the government policies framed from time to time but those preferred to settle in Jammu area are being deprived of these benefits.
The Sikh delegation also told Badal that during a recent visit of a high level delegation sent by Home Ministry to the state, they had given representation to it regarding problems being faced by Sikhs in J&K. They also disclosed that this delegation had assured them of justice but nothing emerged from these meetings.
Badal after giving a patient hearing to the delegation assured that a high level delegation will meet the Home Minister to take up issues raised by them. He said that not only this but he will personally visit Jammu and Kashmir to have an on the spot assessment of the situation and meet Chief Minister Membooba Mufti to get resolved the problems being faced by the community members.
The SAD President further said that though they are only 2 percent of the total population of the country, the sikh community has made the country proud by its achievements in almost every sphere. He said that this country owes its independence to this community and no state can ignore them because of their unmatched contribution.
He said that not only Jammu and Kashmir but from any part of the world Sikhs can bring to his notice problems if any being faced by them and he as soldier of the SAD was duty bound to take steps to solve these problems.