Sharmila Tagore shares her Kashmir experiences with J&K gov

Shrinagar: Bollywood actress Sharmila Tagore on Friday met Jammu and Kashmir Governor, N.N. Vohra, and his spouse at the Raj Bhavan in Srinagar.

An official spokesman said that Ms. Tagore “shared with governor and First Lady, her reminisces of the 1960s and 70s when she had visited the Valley on many occasions, when it was among the most preferred locations for film shooting”. She also spoke about experiences during her current visit.

The veteran actress is on a private visit of the Valley where many of her blockbusters including ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’ were picturised in its all the splendour and breathtaking beauty. A statement issued by Raj Bhavan here said that the Governor and his spouse wished Ms. Tagore “good health and happiness” and requested her to visit Kashmir every year.

Meanwhile, a 5-member delegation led by Manjinder Singh Sirsa, MLA Delhi Legislative Assembly, met the Governor at the Raj Bhavan on Friday to apprise him about the hardships being faced by the Sikh community in J&K, particularly by the migrated Sikh families from POK.

They demanded grant of minority status to the Sikhs, implementation of  ‘Anand Marriage Act’ for marriage registration of Sikhs, relief package for Sikhs displaced from POK and  those affected due to militancy in the Valley, reservation for displaced Sikhs families in government jobs and school and college admissions, employment packages for the Sikhs, updating registration list of displaced Sikh families, reservation of seats in Legislative Assembly; provision of housing colonies for displaced persons, renaming them as ‘Sikh migrants’ and their one-time settlement as per compensation package calculated on the guidelines of Joint Parliamentary Committee of Home Affairs’ Report No. 183.

The delegation also expressed grave concern over the attempted forceful conversion of a Sikh girl studying in the Valley’s Islamic University of Science and Technology.

An official statement said that the Governor assured the delegation that the issues raised by it would receive due consideration.