Universal Just Action Society (UJAS) advocates for Pakistani immigrants in India who are fleeing religious persecution. Despite escaping dangers in Pakistan, they are still denied basic human rights in India. Among these are the rights to citizenship, rehabilitation, livelihood, and education.
UJAS’ mission is to aid Pakistani refugees in obtaining justice by raising awareness, empowering refugee communities, and pressuring the government to provide them with legal rights.
Regarding Refugee Status:
According to the 1951 Refugee Convention establishing the UNHCR, a refugee is identified as someone who "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.” Despite the Government of India denying Pakistani immigrants official refugee status, UJAS recognizes them as “refugees” with the intention of promoting the title and protection they deserve.
Our Name:
In Hindi, ujas means “brightness” or “light coming out of darkness.” Universal Just Action Society (UJAS) aims to shed light on a dark issue, one that is often not addressed without our presence in this field. We demand justice for persecuted Pakistani refugees by taking action through public hearings, empowerment of refugee communities, and lobbying at local, state, and national levels.
OUR OBJECTIVES
UJAS’ objectives are to:
• Raise public awareness on issues facing post-1965 Pakistani refugees in India through documentation and publication;
• Organize and empower refugee communities to improve their living conditions and provide a more secure future for their children;
• Promote communal harmony in border areas by highlighting shared traditions and encouraging collaboration in the preservation of culture;
• Provide a platform from which oppressed refugee communities can air their grievances and seek their basic human rights;
• Draft policies demanding regular and fair treatment of refugees living in India and put pressure on the government to observe these policies, particularly in the form of granting Indian citizenship.
OUR APPROACH
UJAS works with migrant and border communities and government officials to help provide Pakistani refugees with Indian citizenship and basic human rights. We approach this goal in the following ways:
1. Raising Awareness of Issues Confronting Pakistani Refugees: One of UJAS’ core aims is raising the visibility of Pakistani refugee populations living in India in order to garner public support. UJAS continues to do so by meeting with refugee communities to discuss issues and experiences, documenting and publicizing these issues locally and nationally, and attracting media attention to public events and hearings.
2. Empowering Refugee Communities: UJAS appoints voluntary refugee leaders at a block level who are in charge of networking with all of the refugee communities in the assigned area. These leaders hold regular meetings with the inhabitants of each settlement in which ideas and problems are discussed and strategies developed for addressing them.
3. Promoting Harmony in Border Areas: Because the scope of problems facing refugee populations is not limited to government and legal issues, UJAS also works to improve relations and living conditions in border areas shared by refugee and non-refugee populations of both Hindu and Muslim faiths. UJAS seeks to encourage communal harmony in these areas by promoting shared traditions, cross-border peace initiatives, economic development opportunities, and cultural preservation.
4. Hosting Public Hearings and Conferences: In order to carry the messages of refugee communities to public forums and sensitize important government policymakers about the struggles of these communities, UJAS organizes large public hearings in Rajasthan and Gujarat, inviting refugees, journalists, local leaders and high-profile government figures such as the Principal Secretaries and Chief Ministers of the state. In this forum, refugees are given an opportunity to air their grievances and demand action from government agents who have the power to deliver these messages to national-level policymakers.
5. Lobbying at State and National Levels: UJAS dedicates itself to giving refugees a voice through wide networking with local leaders and regular meetings with and consistent pressurizing of local and state government figures. Through these methods, UJAS has successfully pushed demands for refugee rights all the way up to national policymakers.