Demands related to domicile rights for jobs though unexplained are welcome but the land rights for J&K domiciles have created lot of confusion among the people in the backdrop of massive land retrieving drive both in Kashmir and Jammu divisions. The government amid a massive hype over the invitation to no local investors for Industrial investment in Jammu & Kashmir does not explain its policy on use of state land, custodian land and green belt areas retrieved by it in anti-encroachment drives after August 5, 2019. People in Jammu & Kashmir are wise enough to understand that non locals can’t force them to sell their own land against their whims wishes and henceforth don’t raise any questions on the rights of their own land but they have apprehensions over the use of state land, custodian land and green belt areas retrieved in continuing land encroachment drive from the illegal occupants in Jammu & Kashmir after August 5, 2019. So for even political leaders like Altaf Bukhari, the President of newly launched Jammu & Kashmir Apni Party and senior PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Beig talking much about a substitute legislation to article 370 for land and job rights have not raised any questions over the use of state land, custodian land and green belt areas retrieved from the land encroachers in the continuing anti-encroachment drive and more so after the government’s invitation to non local private investors for industrial investment in Jammu & Kashmir since downgraded to a union territory.
Keeping in view the interests of the local investors in the extension and expansion of existing mega industrial projects and also the construction of new industrial ventures, the political leaders tending to seek a substitute legislation to article 370 for land and job rights to the people of Jammu & Kashmir owe an explanation for not seeking clarification from the central government over the new industrial investment policy before deciding the political future of Jammu & Kashmir.
Though rising unemployment demands huge industrial investment in Jammu & Kashmir but local industrialists in both Kashmir and Jammu divisions have the capacity to invest in mega industrial projects without the collaboration or partnership with the local investors. Keeping in view the interests of the local investors in the extension and expansion of existing mega industrial projects and also the construction of new industrial ventures, the political leaders tending to seek a substitute legislation to article 370 for land and job rights to the people of Jammu & Kashmir owe an explanation for not seeking clarification from the central government over the new industrial investment policy before deciding the political future of Jammu & Kashmir. Altaf Bukhari the J&K Apni Party Chief saying “we won’t promise stars and moons, but would bring back statehood and basic citizenship rights” does not mean that political leaders subscribing to his ideology have the liberty to remain silent over the plans of the central government to open flood gates for non local investors of several states of the country in Jammu & Kashmir with the objectionable intent of encroaching the land rights of the local investors in Jammu & Kashmir. Mainstream leaders have to take care of such land rights issues likely have a direct bearing on the protection of the present demography of Jammu & Kashmir since downgraded to a union territory against the whims and wishes of it’s bonafide residents.