APHC unmasks Modi regime’s sinister designs to grab land, businesses in IIOJK
#SeizingPropertiesInIIOJK
Srinagar: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has raised serious concerns over the increasing control of non-local entities over land and businesses in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, warning that these actions are part of a deliberate effort to alter the territory’s demography.
According to Kashmir Media Service, APHC spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas, in a statement issued in Srinagar, cited the large-scale purchase of land in popular tourist destinations like Pahalgam by non-locals under the pretext of constructing luxury hotels. He said that this expansionist approach, carried out under the directives of the BJP-led administration, has rendered local bodies like the Pahalgam Development Authority (PDA) powerless.
The bypassing of local authorities in approving construction projects is particularly alarming, indicating a sinister agenda to undermine territory’s governance and legal frameworks. Officials who oppose such sales to non-locals are either transferred or designated as Officers on Special Duty (OSD) to silence dissent and protect vested interests. The APHC pointed to the recent transfer of a PDA official who spoke out against these land deals as an example of such repression.
The APHC also cited the acquisition of a 70% stake in the local Safco Cement industry by an Indian company, Haryana-based JK Cement. The APHC said that this company strategically uses the name “J&K Cement” to mislead the public.
Also, the government-owned JK Cement Limited has been deliberately weakened by incurring huge losses. Reports indicate that the BJP-controlled administration is in talks with Adani-owned Ambuja Cement to take over the so-called failing unit. The APHC said the same Adani, who is facing legal case in the United States for being a major beneficiary of an illegal solar project.
The APHC warned that the control of local businesses, such as Safco Cement, by large Indian corporations and the potential deal with Adani’s Ambuja Cement signal a broader trend of disempowering local entrepreneurs. The shift in ownership to politically connected corporate giants not only threatens the local economy but also increases the marginalization of Kashmiri business owners.
The APHC further pointed to the Jindal Group’s growing influence in Kashmir, noting that under the direct guidance of BJP leader and Indian Home Minister Amit Shah, the company laid the foundation stone for a new steel processing unit in Pulwama on February 17, 2023. Similarly, JSW Group Chairman and Managing Director Sajjan Jindal, after meeting with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, announced major projects in Gulmarg on January 31, 2025. The APHC said Omar Abdullah is secretly advancing the BJP-RSS Hindutva agenda in the occupied territory.
The increasing influx of non-local corporate investments, particularly those tied to BJP leadership, suggests a well-coordinated effort to reshape the Kashmir’s economic future, consolidating power and wealth in the hands of outsiders while displacing local stakeholders.
The APHC called upon the United Nations and international human rights organizations to take urgent notice of India’s systematic violations in IIOJK and to ensure that the Kashmir dispute is resolved in accordance with UN resolutions.
