NC MPs urge Indian president to restore IIOJK statehood, protect land and job rights
New Delhi,: National Conference MPs in the Rajya Sabha has submitted a memorandum to Indian president Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi, seeking the early restoration of statehood to Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), and raising a range of issues including land and job rights, hydropower projects and rising unemployment in the territory.
According to Kashmir Media Service, MPs Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan, Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo and Shammi Oberoi called on the Indian president at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and submitted the memorandum.
Kichloo said on X that he, along with his colleagues, met the Indian president at Rashtrapati Bhavan and presented a memorandum highlighting key concerns of occupied Jammu & Kashmir.
An official statement said the Kashmiri MPs strongly urged the early restoration of full statehood to IIOJK in line with the assurances previously made on the floor of the Indian Parliament.
The delegation also emphasised the need to protect land and job rights of the local population and called for a comprehensive economic and employment package to address the growing unemployment crisis among the youth in the territory.
They further sought the return of major hydroelectric power projects currently operated by India’s National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), saying IIOJK should receive a fair share of benefits from its natural resources.
The memorandum also highlighted environmental concerns, pointing to the effects of climate change and the rapid retreat of glaciers such as the Kolahoi Glacier, and called for urgent scientific and policy interventions to protect the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.
