India continues to trample on the rights of Kashmiris living in its reign of terror. The latest strike came in the form of legal changes that allow any Indian citizen to buy land in the disputed region. The change proves beyond any doubt that India has no intention of following the will of the Kashmiri people, even on the off chance that a plebiscite is ever held. At least earlier, New Delhi tried to use some sort of a facade to hide its contempt for international law. The last change to the property law only allowed “permanent residents” to buy property in the region, with the conditions for “permanent residents” essentially meaning that most of the eligible people were soldiers and government employees, and their children. Previously, non-Kashmiris were not allowed to buy property at all as that would throw off the region’s demographic makeup and invalidate or skew a future plebiscite.
The timing of the change was also not accidental. The announcement came as Kashmiris marked the Black Day that is October 27 — the anniversary of the date in 1947 when Indian forces first occupied the Muslim-majority state. While the condemnation from Pakistani political leaders was expected, even Kashmiri politicians loyal to India, have called the move “unacceptable”. Omar Abdullah, a former chief minister of the occupied state, noted that the Bharatiya Janata Party would force suffering upon “small landholding owners” through this move to put the region “up for sale.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has never had the interests of Kashmiris in mind while crafting policies for the occupied region. His priorities have always been, in no particular order, his corporate cronies, elections, and Hindutva. This is one of the rare moves that will help with all three. That is because fat cats can buy up the land for their own purposes while further depriving Kashmiri Muslims. The move will also revitalise the BJP’s base during the legislative assembly elections in Bihar. As for Hindutva, the fact that the legal change causes Muslims to suffer is enough to count as a win in that column.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 29th, 2020.
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