The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, designed to designate two members from the Kashmiri migrant community and one representative for displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to the legislative assembly.
Additionally, the House passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, aiming to redefine the category of individuals eligible for reservation in appointments and admissions.
These bills received parliamentary endorsement following a debate lasting over six hours across two days by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
He reportedly asserted that the government's introduction of these two bills concerning Jammu and Kashmir would bring justice to those deprived of their rights for the past 70 years. He emphasized that reserving displaced individuals would afford them a meaningful representation in the legislature.
Minister Shah pointed out that Jammu and Kashmir had faced the consequences of two critical mistakes made by the country's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru – the initial declaration of a ceasefire and subsequently bringing the Kashmir issue to the attention of the United Nations.
"Had Jawaharlal Nehru taken right steps, PoK would have been part of India now. It was a historic blunder," he said.
The home minister said a plan to have zero terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir has been in force for the last three years and it will be successful by 2026 when there will be no violence.
