Land for homeless in J&K: Mehbooba Mufti claims attempt to change demographics

Former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti Wednesday alleged that Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha’s recent announcement on providing land to homeless people under the PM Awas Yojana could be an attempt to alter the Union Territory’s demographic composition.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in Srinagar, Mufti said the administration “is importing slums and poverty into the region under the pretext of providing housing to homeless individuals, which I believe is an attempt to alter the demographic composition of Jammu & Kashmir”.

Expressing doubts about the move to provide five marlas of land, she questioned the identity of the alleged 1,99,550 landless people in the Union Territory. Citing figures presented by the Union government to Parliament in 2021, Mufti said there are only 19,047 homeless families in the region and emphasised the need for clarification on this “disparity”.

“I want to understand who these landless people are. After (Art) 370, land and resources in J&K are treated as post-war spoils. Why do they want to convert this into a slum and import poverty?” she said. She stated that this will affect Jammu immensely.

Mufti accused the administration of “being driven by a desire to increase the BJP vote bank, thus leading to a change in the demographic makeup of J&K”.

She also questioned why Kashmiri Pandits, “living in one-room accommodations in Jammu for the past three decades”, were not provided with land for constructing houses.

She added that Kashmir and Jammu will resist this together and underscored that the region is being transformed into a slum instead of focusing on its overall development.

She acknowledged the growing realisation among the people of Jammu regarding the potential consequences of these policies, warning that the negative effects would manifest in Jammu before affecting Kashmir. Mufti also warned that the policy is a “provocation” to the local population.

Encouraging the people of J&K to follow the example set by Ladakh, Mufti commended the region’s residents for demanding the inclusion of land rights and jobs in the Sixth Schedule. She expressed admiration for their decision to launch a non-cooperation movement from July 15, opposing any outside investments in tourism, and pledged support for the people of Ladakh.

Mufti also expressed surprise at the timing of the order concerning landless individuals, coinciding with the Supreme Court’s consideration of petitions challenging the revocation of Article 370. She called upon the people of Kashmir and Jammu to unite and resist these measures, much like the people of Ladakh.