SRINAGAR: The All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has voiced concern over the ongoing seizure of Kashmiris’ properties, saying that the BJP-led Modi Government is implementing a colonial-style settlement policy to alter the demographic makeup of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
In a statement issued on Thursday, APHC spokesperson Advocate Abdul Rasheed Minhas highlighted the recent confiscation of properties belonging to seven people in Baramulla district by the BJP-appointed administration of IIOJK.
Minhas said that the recurring confiscation of Kashmiri properties by India has become a routine tactic aimed at stifling the resolve of Kashmiris and compelling them into silence.
Since the revocation of IIOJK’s special status on August 5, 2019, Minhas stated, the Modi government has intensified colonization efforts in the region, effectively transforming Jammu and Kashmir into a vast prison and depriving Kashmiris of their fundamental rights.
The spokesperson said that the seizure of Kashmiri properties serves the purpose of alienating them from their own homeland as punishment for their involvement in the freedom movement.
Comparing India’s actions to Israel’s policies in Palestine, Minhas argued that the BJP-led Modi government seeks to reduce the Muslim majority in Kashmir by confiscating homes and resorting to destructive measures during military operations.
In addition to property confiscation, Minhas noted, Indian security forces are demolishing houses through shelling and planting explosives during what they term “search operations.”
