An organisation representing the families displaced from PoK Saturday demanded facilitation of their visit to religious places across the Line of Control, days after India and Pakistan laid foundation stones for the Kartarpur corridor.
"We were displaced from PoK over seven decades ago and craving for a visit to our religious places. Priority should be given to us so that we pay obeisance at our gurdwaras and temples," SOS International chairman Rajiv Chuni told reporters here.
He said he was surprised over the demand by Kashmiri Pandits for opening of Sharada Peeth temple for them.
"When they (pandits) used to visit the Sharada Peeth prior to their displacement from Kashmir? It belongs to us, the people of PoK, and we will shed our blood if such a thing (passage to the temple for Pandits) happens. We will not allow anyone to play with our sentiments and our history," he said.
India laid the foundation stone of the Kartapur corridor in Punjab to facilitate Indian Sikhs in visiting the 16th-century Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan on November 26.
Two days later, Pakistan held a ground-breaking ceremony for the corridor. The two countries will build the corridor on their respective sides.
Chuni asked political parties to clear their stand on restoring eight legislative assembly seats reserved for the residents of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Criticising the BJP, he said its slogan of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' was "farce" as it "focussed" on Kashmiri migrants only. He also slammed the Congress and said it turned a "blind eye" towards their problems.
Taking a dig at National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah for his statement that PoK belongs to Pakistan and India should retain this side of Jammu & Kashmir, he said, "PoK belongs to us and nobody has a right to take a decision on this".
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)