SRINAGAR In occupied Kashmir, the Indian authorities, in a major development, took a big step last night towards changing the demography of the territory by notifying new domicile rules. A notification in this regard said that a person who has resided in J&K for a period of 15 years or has studied for a period of seven years shall be deemed to be the domicile of the territory. The domicile would also be given to the children of Indian government officials who have served in the territory for ten years. The new law will provide Indians legal justification to settle in the disputed territory. Hurriyat leaders and organizations including Shabbir Ahmad Dar, Mir Shahid Saleem, Farooq Ahmad Tawheedi, Nisar Rather, Narender Singh Khalsa, Jammu and Kashmir Youth Social Forum, Jammu and Kashmir United Peace Movement, Professor Nazir Ahmed Shawl, Barrister Abdul Majeed Tramboo and Sikh organizations strongly condemned the notification. The leaders maintained that India was hellbent upon snatching everything from the people of Jammu and Kashmir including their identity, land and natural resources. They termed the Indian move as a violation of the UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir, which clearly state that the future status of Jammu and Kashmir would be determined in accordance with the will of the Kashmir people. The leaders urged the United Nations, European Union and OIC to intervene and save people of Kashmir from BJP-RSS led Hindutva terrorism. Pro-India National Conference Vice President, Omar Abdullah, lashing out at New Delhi over the new domicile rules said the notification had added insult to injuries as it offered none of the protections to the residents of the territory. He also questioned the timing of its introduction as the world is battling the coronavirus pandemic. Mehbooba Mufti-led Peoples Democratic Party in a statement issued in Srinagar termed the Indian govt’s order pertaining to domicile rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir as akin to rubbing salt to the people’s wounds. It also demanded immediate rollback of the law. Meanwhile, according to the data issued by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, Indian troops in their continued acts of state terrorism martyred nine Kashmiris during the last month of March. During the period, at least seven people were injured and as many as 806 people including Hurriyat activists were arrested during 394 cordon and search operations in the territory. The spokesperson of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front in a statement in Srinagar expressed serious concern over the deteriorating health of illegally detained party Chairman, Muhammad Yasin Malik, in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail.—KMS
