India’s development claims designed to bolster its colonial grip on IIOJK: Wani
Athens: The Chairman of the Kashmir Institute of International Relations (KIIR), Altaf Hussain Wani has vehemently criticized India for its claims of development and normalcy in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
According to Kashmir Media Service, during a press conference held in Athens, Wani briefed the Kashmiri and Pakistani diaspora on the dire situation in IIOJK. He denounced these claims as mere hoaxes, stating that since August 5, 2019, Kashmiris have been stripped of their identity and all their economic, social and political rights by the Hindutva regime.
He argued that India’s development claims are designed to bolster its colonial grip on the territory, offering no benefits to the common citizens. Instead, he said, India has employed various tactics to cement its illegal occupation of IIOJK, including altering a series of laws such as the domicile law, which now guarantees jobs, voting rights, and land ownership to non-locals in the disputed territory.
Wani further said that India was attempting to change the religious landscape of IIOJK. He noted that in 1990, there were approximately 490 Hindu temples in the territory, but the Modi regime is now planning to construct around 50,000 temples, with funds and land already allocated for these Hindu projects.
This, Wani argued, is part of a larger strategy to reshape IIOJK’s demographic and cultural identity.
