Indian government – in its bid to undermine Muslim majority population of Jammu and Kashmir, has enforced new law allowing outsiders to procure land in the disputed valley.
Terming the move as ‘land grab’ Kashmiris have opposed the Indian government’s decision to allow outsiders to acquire land in Jammu and Kashmir.
Kashmiris fear that the move will alter the valley’s demography, essentially ‘neutralizing’ its Muslim majority population with the artificial induction of other religious and ethnic population in the valley.
Termed as ‘The Land Laws’, PM Narendra Modi led right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were enforced on October 27th a day earlier as the Kashmiris observed ‘Black Day’ all across the valley to mark illegal Indian annexation of Jammu and Kashmir back in 1947.
Kashmir – The ‘other’ Palestine
Indian government has resorted to enforcing dystopian measures on the Palestine model as done by the Israel since 1948 to annex Palestinian land under varying deceiving alternate narratives
According to the notification issued by the Federal Home Ministry, the new law abolishes the prerequisite of ‘permanent resident of the state of Jammu and Kashmir’ in order to acquire land in the disputed valley.
The new law will enable anyone to procure land in Jammu and Kashmir for residential, industrial and commercial purposes.
Furthermore, Indian government has officially authorized Indian troops to occupy any area in Jammu and Kashmir by declaring it ‘strategic’ and use it for operational and training purposes to fight against the Kashmiri freedom fighters.
The new ‘Land Laws’ are an extension of India’s bid to conclude its illegal annexation of Kashmir which began back in 1947 and has since not yet ended.
It is pertinent to know that on August 5th 2019, Narendra Modi led BJP government abrogated Article 370 and Article 35A of the Indian constitution and the revocation of special autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Article 370 of the Indian constitution granted special autonomy and status to the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir. It allowed the state to formulate and implement its own laws regarding permanent residency, ownership of property and fundamental rights.
The abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A were followed by issuance of ‘fake domiciles’ to Hindus from Indian government’s declaring them as Jammu and Kashmir residents.
Kashmiris fear a ‘mercurial’ future under Narendra Modi, BJP
As per the statistics of 2011 census, Muslims comprise 68.31 per cent of the region’s 12.5 million people, while Hindus are 28.43 per cent; who now fear a mercurial future under the right-wing nationalist BJP rule lead by PM Narendra Modi.
Ever since the revocation of especial autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir, the valley has been subjected to an all-out unprecedented communications blackout by Indian administration.
Mehbooba Mufti – former Chief Minister Jammu and Kashmir, took to social media to denounce the new ‘Land Laws’ enforced by Indian government.
“BJP is creating such laws to whet the appetite of a gullible electorate. Such brazen measures reinforce the need of people of all three provinces of J&K to fight unitedly,” she tweeted.
Terming the step as a nefarious move to disenfranchise and disempower Kashmiri people, Mufti highlighted that Indian government’s attitude and approach towards Kashmiri people is similar to that of a colonial power who is only fixated on pillaging and exploiting the valley’s resources under the false narrative of ‘development and investment’.
Meanwhile, Sajad Lone – President Peoples Conference and spokesperson for People’s Alliance for Gukar Declaration (PAGD), has termed the new laws as ‘a huge betrayal and a massive assault on the rights of people of Jammu and Kashmir’.
“The unconstitutional measure is clearly designed as an attempt to preempt the outcome of the challenge before the Supreme Court. The assault on exclusive property rights apart, changes in urban development laws and creation of Security Zones is bound to prejudicially affect environment and ecosystem in environmentally fragile regions of Jammu and Kashmir,” read the official statement issued by PAGD.
Indian government’s decision to abolish the ‘status quo’ by revoking especial land procurement laws in Jammu and Kashmir will further add fuel to the fire to the utmost dissent of Kashmiri people towards India and Indian government for the state sponsored oppression, segregation and atrocities spanning across seven decades.