OHCHR asked to intervene over property seizure in IIOJK
Geneva: The Kashmir Institute of International Relations (KIIR) has submitted an urgent appeal to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) over the unlawful seizure of properties in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
In the appeal, KIIR Chairman Altaf Hussain Wani cited the orders of Director General of Police in occupied Jammu and Kashmir about attachment of ancestral properties in Kachama, Kupwara, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in FIR No. 276/22 registered at Police Station Kupwara as the latest case.
The properties, comprising about 15 kanals of land and residential structures, are stated to belong to Abdul Majid Qureshi and Parvaiz Ahmad Qureshi and were described in local orders as “proceeds of terrorism.”KIIR said the measures reflect a pattern of state-sponsored persecution rather than a bona fide counter-terrorism action.
It said Abdul Majid Qureshi is a refugee who fled to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) in the late 1990s after his brother Mustafa Qureshi was killed by forces and he faced repeated summons, harassment and intimidation at police stations and army camps. He suffers from multiple chronic ailments and has no credible links to any militant organization, the appeal said.
It added that Parvaiz Ahmad Qureshi, son of martyred Mustafa Qureshi, was detained and tortured after his father’s death and relocated to AJK in 2018 on a valid passport and visa. The appeal raises concerns over weaponization of UAPA to dispossess refugees and victims of state violence, arbitrary deprivation of property and collective punishment of displaced persons, targeting of individuals who legally migrated or sought refuge, and lack of due process and independent review.
KIIR has urged the High Commissioner to investigate the legality of the attachments and assess breaches of international obligations, urge India to suspend enforcement pending independent review, monitor misuse of UAPA in IIOJK, and facilitate access for independent observers.
“Attaching the homes and limited assets of a refugee who fled sustained persecution is a grave injustice,” Altaf Hussain Wani said. “This action appears to punish victims of state violence rather than address so-called security concerns.”The institute said it is ready to provide documentation and witness statements to OHCHR investigators.
