New domicile rules for occupied J&K

Eight months after scrapping the special status of occupied Jammu and Kashmir, India's ultra Hindu nationalist government has taken a vital step towards the fulfilment of its real agenda for the disputed region. A notification issued recently has changed domicile rules aimed at making drastic alteration in the demographic composition of the disputed region. As per the new rules, anyone who has resided in occupied J&K for 15 years, or has been student for seven years and appeared in class 10 and 12 examinations in an educational institution in the state qualifies to be considered J&K domiciled person. Anyone who is registered as a migrant by the Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner (migrants) would be similarly entitled. Also domiciled Kashmiris would be children of those central government officials, all India services, statutory bodies, public sector banks, central universities and research institutions of central government "who have served in Jammu and Kashmir for a total period of 10 years, or children of parents who fulfil any of the conditions in other sections." Doors thus have been swung wide open for Hindus from all over India to come and settle down in the occupied J&K and turn its Muslim majority into minority.

Previously, non-natives did not enjoy some rights reserved for the local people. They could not own land or hold state government jobs. Even Kashmiri women, who married outsiders, were barred, along with their children, from buying property in the state. However, these restrictions have not been peculiar to J&K. In Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Telangana, too, people from the rest of the country cannot buy land. Their domicile laws protect land rights. New rules for occupied J&K have been devised with an ulterior motive. They have promptly drawn criticism from Kashmiri leaders lucky enough to have access to social media, whilst the region remains locked down for the last eight months. Taking to Twitter, former chief minister Omar Abdullah described the move as "an insult being heaped on injury", adding that the law offers none of the protections that had been promised. The protections he alluded to were assurances home minister Amit Shah had given some people last month, saying the centre did not intend to carry out demographic changes in the region. But the BJP leaders have been lying about their designs for J&K at every step of the way from repeal of Article 370 to new domicile rules that deprive the Kashmiri people of the rights and privileges they had enjoyed for generations.

CPI leader M.Y. Tarigami seemed to capture the essence of moment when he said the new law has increased fears among the locals of losing not only jobs but also land to outsiders; and that "after sometime the majority of posts will be held by non-locals. A 15-year and 10-year cap is primary mean for children of security personnel and other central government. After five years, they will settle them here." Surely, the besieged Kashmiri people are not going to accept such transformation of their land. It is a matter of not if but when will they react.