In yet another instance of BJP-led Indian government’s ongoing policy to dispossess Kashmiris of their properties and suppress their political voice under draconian laws, the Indian authorities have targeted the properties of two other Kashmiris in Baramulla and Shopian districts of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). According to Kashmir Media Service, the Indian police establishment, headed by the BJP’s LG Manoj Sinha, has attached a single-storey residential house of Mohammad Subhan Khan in Nowpora Kalan Sopore area of the district under black law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The BJP-led LG Manoj Sinha administration has also attached a double-storey residential house of Abdul Majeed Koka, father-in-law of a Hurriyat activist Sajad Ahmad Khah in the Melhoura area of Shopian under black law, UAPA. On the other hand, Indian police during a search operation arrested Mudasir Ahmad Wani and also seized his two vehicles, a Toyota Corolla and a BMW under black law, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in the Chanapora area of Srinagar city. This latest actions are part of an ongoing and intensifying campaign to seize properties from Kashmiris following the revocation of IIOJK’s special status in August 2019.

Critics argue that these seizures, carried out under various pretexts, are part of a broader strategy aimed at altering the demographic composition of the territory. By dispossessing local Kashmiris of their lands and homes, the Indian government seeks to marginalize them while facilitating the settlement of non-local individuals, thereby undermining Kashmir’s unique identity. Meanwhile, Indian forces during a cordon and search operation arrested Altaf Ahmad Lone and Manzoor Ahmad Butt in Qazigund area of Kulgam district.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)