Chandigarh, June 25 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Punjab unit Friday announced that it would take up the cause of Hindu families from Pakistan who have been forced to settle in the state after being driven out of their country.
The state unit has set up a three-member committee under Rajya Sabha member Avinash Rai Khanna to look into all aspects of the issue, including relief to such families who have taken shelter in Punjab.
Most of these families are living in Amritsar and nearby areas and fear for their lives if they are forced to return to Pakistan.
Khanna said that most of the families driven out of Pakistan have settled in three places – Rajpura, Amritsar and Jalandhar.
The committee will hold a meeting in Chandigarh June 29 to get inputs from BJP legislators and other leaders about the exact number of families from Pakistan living in Punjab and suggest future course of action for them.
The committee will also visit the three cities and meet with the distressed families.
Khanna said that the Hindus and Sikhs were hounded out of Pakistan for fear of their lives.
‘The options before them are to either convert to Islam or run for their lives, leaving their property and businesses behind,’ he said.
Khanna added that the Punjab and central governments will be approached to get relief for the families.
