Domicile Law: An attraction for migration to J&K

Since employment is a global challenge, the employment opportunities anywhere in the world as such become sources of attraction for people both within and outside any country, any state or any territory. The doctors, engineers and other professionals proceeding to middle east, US, UK and European Countries from different parts of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries show that people migrate even from one continent to the other for better job opportunities. The job attractions for outsiders could drastically reduce the job opportunities for Jammu & Kashmir youth in a short span of few years and henceforth the apprehensions and concerns of the people of Jammu & Kashmir are genuine and legitimate. Since the new domicile law invoked as a substitute to decades old State Subject law would by all probabilities open floodgates to over at least five lakh people already settling in Jammu & Kashmir for last more than two decades, the resentment from the local populations deserves immediate attention of the central government. As experiences of last three decades have proved it beyond doubt that more employment opportunities lead to low intensity security challenges and less employment opportunities show unprecedented rise in the security challenges , the encroachment of the job avenues from people outside Jammu & Kashmir would by all standards of understandabilities intensify security challenges in Jammu & Kashmir and more so after the execution of August 5,2019 provocative decisions which have led to bifurcation of erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state into union territories and withdrawal of special status to it after seventy long years. So the implementation of new domicile law one way or the other goes even against the spirit of national security which political party in power at the centre says is dearer to it more than it’s own political survival.
Since both Jammu & Kashmir and Ladhak union territories are the parts of the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state, the central government can be asked to explain that why it plans to execute provocative decisions only in Jammu & Kashmir only and not in Ladhak union territory.
Though the local BJP leaders argue that the outsiders won’t come to Kashmir for settlement due to its topographical position and inclement weather that make it an unfriendly destination for industrial investment but job opportunities and availability of land at throwaway costs could be huge attraction for the people of the other states and union territories of the country. Since the reports indicate that more than five lakh people of other states and union territories are already settled temporarily in Jammu & Kashmir for the purposes of seasonal jobs and trading activities, the fear of less job opportunities and encroachment of the productive and unproductive land has panicked the local populations both in Kashmir and Jammu divisions . While carrying out crucial exercises of delimitation and domicile laws in Jammu & Kashmir the central government has not taken any decision either on delimitation of the single parliamentary constituency of Ladhak division or the domicile rights of the people of that union territory giving an indication that the political party power in the centre has virtually change Jammu & Kashmir into a laboratory of vote bank politics. Since both Jammu & Kashmir and Ladhak union territories are the parts of the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state, the central government can be asked to explain that why it plans to execute provoactive decisions only in Jammu & Kashmir only and not in Ladhak union territory. Leaving Ladhak Union territory untouched in the moves of both delimitation and as well as domicile law leaves many questions unanswered as the application of article 371 on the pattern of north eastern states to Ladhak Union Territory could be a possibility not ruled out by the central government as yet. Attempts to encroach upon the land and job rights of the people are deepening the increasing alienation of youth in Jammu & Kashmir as plans to execute provocative decisions on delimitation and domicile law lead to more provocation and not reconciliation in Jammu & Kashmir in the aftermath of the decisions taken on August 5 last year.