Pulwama, Dec 18: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday visited Puchal village in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district and highlighted concerns over proposed land acquisition by Border Security Force (BSF) that locals say could threaten livelihoods dependent on horticulture.
“This land is highly fertile; it must be protected, with so many almond and apple trees. Taking it away will destroy the only source of income for many families,” People’s Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti told reporters at the site.
Mufti said that allocating land to security forces in the middle of inhabited villages was not appropriate.
She appealed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene and ensure the land is protected for residents, noting that rising unemployment has made agriculture and horticulture critical for survival in rural Kashmir.
“Unemployment and population are growing day by day, and people are increasingly dependent on horticulture. If this land is taken from them, where will they go?” she said.
Criticising the proposed acquisition, Mufti called for a balance between security requirements and civilian rights, suggesting that alternative land could be explored if additional space is required by security forces.
Mufti also referenced a land protection bill her party had introduced in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, aimed at safeguarding local land rights, which she said was dismissed by Chief Minister Abdullah as a “bill for land thieves.”
“We do not believe our people are land thieves,” she said. “Where will they go if their land is acquired for security forces? It is the Chief Minister’s duty to intervene and protect the interests of the people.”
She said that the bill was aimed at ensuring the protection of land for the locals so that it could not be taken away in the name of a strategic area. She added that she would also take up the matter with India’s Defence Minister to seek a review of the proposal.
The former Chief Minister was accompanied by MLA Pulwma Waheed ur Rehman Parra.
Local farmers said that the horticulture land in the karewas of Puchul and Lajura was being acquired by the BSF. They said that the acquisition of land would strip dozens of families of their livelihood.
“We appeal to the government to save our livelihood,” said the farmers.