As many as 40,000 migrants from Pakistan are part of 1.7 million people who are eligible to cast their vote on Thursday in the Jammu Parliamentary constituency. These migrants, however, can’t vote in the Assembly polls. The 40,000 migrants are among nearly 100,000 refugees from Pakistan who could affect the electoral fortunes of the candidates in this constituency.
These refugees came here after 1947 and after the two wars of 1965 and 1971 between India and Pakistan.
Over 40,000 among them have voting rights in the Parliamentary elections. Ironically this is the only ‘privilege’ these migrants have of being Indian citizens. They cannot vote in the Assembly elections, have no property rights under the permanent resident or State subject rules of Jammu and Kashmir, nor can anyone of them apply for a government job here.
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