Jammu: Maintaining that West Pakistani refugees were not state subjects of Jammu and Kashmir despite having settled here five decades ago, the State Government today said they were not eligible for grant of permanent resident certificates in the State, reports PTI.
Replying to a question in the state assembly, Minister for Revenue Aijaz Ahmed Khan said west Pakistani refugees are not state subjects of Jammu and Kashmir and hence are not eligible for the grant of permanent resident certificates.
As many as 5,764 families migrated from West Pakistan during partition to Jammu and Kashmir, he said.
They are very much citizens of India, he said, adding they are not citizens of the State in view of the Article 370.
The permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir have been conferred certain rights under different acts in the state and same stands saved in terms of article 35 of Indian Constitution, he said.
