New Delhi, December 6, 2023, Buzzbytes:— Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared in Parliament today that 24 seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly have been reserved for Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), emphasizing “PoK is ours.” Shah presented the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, revealing changes in seat distribution and highlighting the Delimitation Commission’s role.
Previously, Jammu had 37 seats, now increased to 43, and Kashmir had 46 seats, now numbering 47. The Delimitation Commission, tasked with redefining constituencies, allocated 24 seats for PoK. Shah expressed satisfaction that the commission acknowledged the representation requests from various communities, including Kashmiri migrants and those displaced in PoK.
“The Election Commissioner of India has nominated two seats for Kashmiri migrants and one for a person displaced in PoK, which has been occupied unauthorizedly by Pakistan,” stated Shah during the debate on the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
Shah outlined the increased representation, with five nominated members in the J-K Assembly, including two Kashmiri migrants and one from PoK. These bills aim to rectify injustice against those displaced, providing rights and representation to approximately 46,631 families and 1,57,967 individuals who faced displacement within their own country.