Terming 'huge betrayal', 'J& K for Sale', Omar Abdullah, PAGD slams new land law

Srinagar: National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah on Wednesday hit out at the new land laws notified by the Centre for Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, terming it a "deceit" and a "wanton breach of trust".

He contended that the amendments to the land ownership law has put J&K "up for sale" and specified that the law is hostile to the interests of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

In a tweet he said the amendments were "unacceptable".

"Unacceptable amendments to the land ownership laws of J&K. Even the tokenism of domicile has been done away with when purchasing non-agricultural land & transfer of agricultural land has been made easier. J&K is now up for sale & the poorer small land holding owners will suffer," Omar tweeted.

"With these new laws in place, tokenism of the domicile certificate has been done away with as purchasing non-agricultural land has been made easier. These new laws are unacceptable to people of J&K, Ladakh," he said.

"The BJP remains unchallenged in the opportunistic politics and that the issuance of the amended land rules notification smacks of its cheap politics and deceit," he said.

"Interestingly the Centre waited till the elections to LAHDC had concluded and the BJP had won a majority before putting Ladakh also up for sale. This is what Ladakhis got for trusting the assurances of the BJP," he said.

"The new laws are a consequence of the measures undertaken by the GOI on 5th of August without democratic bearings and much to the resentment and anger of the region's populace.

"The measure reflects the wanton breach of trust of the people of J&K by a dispensation which is brewing with abhorrence for the diversity of the country and the democracy. The measures are also part of a larger design aimed to destroy the local, distinctive cultural identity of Kashmir, thereby giving a ditch to the successive promises made by the successive Central governments from time to time," he said.

"Such measures reveal that it is not the people's aspirations which matters to the ruling dispensation at New Delhi, it is rather the land which they want to hold on and are interested in," Abdullah added

Meanwhile terming the MHA order as 'huge betrayal', Peoples' Alliance for Gukar Declaration (PAGD) condemned the new amendments which paved way to buy land in Kashmir by non-state subjects. In a press statement, it vowed to fight the new law on all fronts.

(From IANS with minor edits)