Baig offers to resign as MP over West-Pak refugees remark

Under fire for his remark on rehabilitation of West Pakistani refugees in Jammu and Kashmir, senior PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig has offered to resign from Parliament.
The PDP MP from Baramulla yesterday submitted his resignation letter to party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and said that he could forward it to Lok Sabha Speaker if he suspected his intentions.
"I have submitted a written communication to Mufti Sahib requesting him to forward my letter of resignation from Parliament to Lok Sabha Speaker if my intentions are ever suspected," Baig said in a statement here.
"Apropos a statement of mine which appeared in an English news paper today regarding the possibility of finding a middle path solution to the problem of settlement of Pakistani refugees, I received a call from a very responsible person today asking me the meaning and purpose of expressing my views at this critical juncture," he added.

Baig said, "I was told that National Conference and JKLF will take an undue advantage of my statement and may probably launch an agitation against the proposed alliance between PDP and BJP."
The senior PDP leader said he did not specify the parameters of the solution but only indicated the guidelines for the same.

"According to me, this is a humanitarian problem and not a political problem. The refugees are already settled here and they have a right to vote for Parliament," he said.
"The issue is whether they can be granted the status of permanent residents of the state. I indicated that this can be done only if the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir permits it."

According to the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, a total of 1.50 lakhs refugees from West Pakistan are currently residing in the territory.