New land laws, eviction drives will only vitiate atmosphere in J&K: Mirwaiz
The Hindu
Scrapping J&K’s land laws was done in order to facilitate the creation of private land banks and hand them over to outsiders to set up industries, says the Hurriyat’s Mirwaiz Umar Farooq
The latest land laws and eviction drives “will only vitiate the atmosphere in J&K, where the sense of insecurity and frustration among people is on the rise and [they] will naturally react,” the Mirwaiz Umar Farooq-led Hurriyat said on Wednesday
“The Hurriyat once again asks the authorities to desist from such diktats and revoke these anti-local laws. Both the governments of India and Pakistan should come to the dialogue table and resolve the Kashmir conflict and give real peace a chance in the subcontinent. Once this issue is resolved, the mistrust and insecurities that both countries have will cease and the people of Jammu and Kashmir will also be spared the incessant assault on their identity and freedoms,” the Mirwaiz said, in a statement.
He said that the Hurriyat was anguished by the J&K administration’s move to further scrap Jammu and Kashmir land laws and revoke the rights of local communities to cultivate on State, community and evacuee land.
“It is done in order to facilitate the creation of private land banks and hand them over to outsiders to set up industries in J&K. This move will further disempower and pauperise locals, both in Jammu and Kashmir regions, especially the poorer segment,” the Mirwaiz said.
According to the Hurriyat, the Centre, after revoking the provision of Article 370 in 2019, notified that any Indian citizen can purchase non-agricultural land in J&K. It subsequently further notified a new set of rules that allowed the change of title of agricultural to non-agricultural land on fulfilling conditions.
“All these are attempts to accelerate and facilitate the settlement of outsiders in J&K in order to bring about demographic change, while keeping the locals entangled in fighting for basic sustenance. The Hurriyat condemns this mindset,” the Mirwaiz said.
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