Protests erupted in several villages of Shopian district in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir against the ongoing demarcation of fertile agriculture land for the Pulwama–Shopian railway line, with farmers warning that the project would devastate their only source of livelihood. According to Kashmir Media Service, scores of farmers from Keegam and Check Nil Trichil villages braved the biting cold and staged demonstrations against the alignment of the railway line through fertile agricultural land and orchards.

The protesters said the demarcation, marked by the installation of poles along the proposed route, has triggered fear and anxiety among families dependent on apple orchards and paddy fields. The farmers maintained that orchards are their sole means of sustenance and routing the railway line through them would push thousands into economic distress. “We urge the authorities to save our livelihoods,” said Nazir Ahmad, a local farmer, adding that the loss of orchards would leave families with no alternative means of income.

Another farmer, Wali Mohammad, said officials have been conducting surveys and erecting poles to mark land across dozens of villages in Pulwama and Shopian over the past week. He termed the exercise deeply distressing for residents whose lives are tied to the land. Senior PDP leader Raja Waheed, who joined the protesters, said the proposed alignment cuts through orchards and agricultural fields affecting thousands of farmers.

He suggested that the railway line could instead be routed through barren land, including an alternative alignment via Rambiara, which he said would save thousands of kanals of fertile land. Several orchard owners said the fresh round of surveying has revived months of uncertainty, noting that the alignment is being examined for the fourth time. A young farmer said the land was surveyed last year as well, but the process was halted after widespread protests, adding that the renewed demarcation has again left villagers distressed. 

The protesting farmers warned that they would strongly oppose any attempt to convert agricultural land into a railway corridor, asserting that they would not allow productive orchards to be destroyed in the name of development. The protesting farmers said such projects, imposed without consultation or consent of locals, are part of a systematic policy to dispossess Kashmiris of their land and livelihoods.

They maintained that targeting orchards and fertile agricultural fields is not accidental but a deliberate attempt to economically weaken the Kashmiri population, making them more vulnerable and dependent. “By snatching our land and livelihoods, they want to break our spirit and silence our demand for justice,” the farmers said, vowing to continue their peaceful resistance.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)