J&K Administration must come clean on charges of fudging Domicile Certificates issued by it: Saifuddin Soz

Former Union minister and senior Congress leader Prof. Saifuddin Soz has said that the trust deficit between the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the Central government is at an all-time high, referring to the Domicile Certificate figures published by the UT govt.

“The UT Administration has camouflaged the figures on Domicile Certificates issued by it by highlighting figures on West Punjab Refugees (WPR), Valmikis and Gorkhas, which constitute less than one lakh people. The UT Govt. has itself indicated figures – 55931 WPRs, 2754 Valmikis and 789 Gorkhas. The number of certificates issued to these segments of society totals up to one lakh only. The Administration must explain how 25 lakh Domicile Certificates were issued in Jammu and 15 lakhs in Kashmir during just one year,” he said in a media statement issued on Saturday.

“The UT Administration must come clean on this subject. It would be in its own interest to issue a ‘White Paper’ on its policy and criterion, giving details of important statistics, while covering social segments of the J&K State. The UT Administration would also be well advised to appear in the public eye as a credible institution, beyond any doubt,” he added.

“The UT Administration should realize that it is a delicate subject of great public and social importance,” Soz said.

“Meanwhile, the entire exercise in this connection done by the UT Administration appears to be doubtful. The UT Govt. must explain its position further and take the people into confidence,” he added.