“Abrogation of Article 370 enabled J-K’s non-permanent residents enjoy constitutional rights”: MoS Nityanand Rai

New Delhi, Aug 06: Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said on Tuesday that the non-permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir also started to enjoy all the rights enshrined in Constitution after the abrogation of Article 370.

In a written reply to the question raised by MP Vivek Thakur in Lok Sabha on the benefits extended to society post-repealing of Article 370, MoS Rai initially highlighted the situation before the abrogation.

“Before abrogation of Article 370, certain sections of the society of Jammu and Kashmir including West Pakistani Refugees (WPRs) who migrated from West Punjab of Pakistan in 1947 and their descendants having been considered as non-permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir and were denied full rights enshrined in the Constitution of India,” Rai said in his reply in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

“As a result, they did not have the right to own property, employment by the State Government and right to cast vote in the legislative assembly and local body elections of Jammu and Kashmir. However, Displaced Persons of Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) were considered as permanent residents of J&K,” Rai added.

He further said that after the abrogation of Article 370, all rights enshrined in the Constitution of India are now available to everyone.

“All rights including the right to own property, employment under the UT Government and right to cast vote in the legislative assembly and local body elections of Jammu and Kashmir are now available to the then non-permanent residents such as West Pakistani Refugees, Valmiki community and Safai-karmacharis based on their eligibility,” he said.

In August 2019, the Centre revoked Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the region into two Union Territories- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.