Srinagar, Dec 18 (KNS): All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) has expressed dismay that despite having met people at the helm in Jammu & Kashmir from time to time minority status continues to be denied to the Sikhs of the union territory. The Committee said that mere assurances were given to the community members with no action being taken.

In a statement issued on the occasion of National Minority Day APSCC Chairman Jagmohan Singh Raina said that Sikhs met CMs like Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Mehbooba Mufti from time to time and reiterated their demand for minority status. He said that these people ditched the community members by doing nothing in this regard while taking the garb of Article 370.

The APSCC Chairman said that although more than two years have passed since abrogation of Article 370 the minority status has not been given to the Sikhs of Jammu & Kashmir. He said that most of the Central Acts have been implemented in Jammu & Kashmir but not the National Minority Act.

Raina said that meetings with the successive Home Ministers have also not yielded any result with the Sikhs being pushed to the wall. He said community members have suffered like anything during the past three decades ever since the onset of militancy in Jammu & Kashmir.

The APSCC Chairman said that benefits are being extended to a particular community at the cost of the Sikh community. He said packages both job and economic have been extended to this particular community with the members of Sikh community being forced to bite the dust. (KNS)