Only two people from outside Jammu and Kashmir have bought properties in the union territory since August 5, 2019, when the Centre had scrapped Article 370.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said this on Tuesday to the Lok Sabha in response to a question. “As per the information provided by the government of Jammu and Kashmir, two persons from outside J&K have purchased two properties in the UT of J&K,” Rai said.
The question came from Rajya Sabha MPs, Ramalingam S and A Ganeshmurti, who asked “whether it is true that many people from other states of the country have purchased and are also interested to buy properties in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir after removal of Article 370”.
The two DMK MPs also sought details if there were any impediments or hardships faced by non-residents of the UT, who wanted to buy property in J&K. MoS Rai in his response said no such instance has been reported.
The vexed issue of property rights
On August 5, 2019, the Union government had nullified Article 35(A), which prevented people who were not subjects of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir from buying properties in J&K. The Article also prevented women who married non-Kashmiris from holding on to their ancestral properties post-marriage. The Article also empowered the J&K legislature to define the erstwhile state’s permanent residents and their special rights and privileges.
The issue of property rights in Kashmir had acquired political colour post-abrogation of Article 370. Leaders like YoG=gi Adityanath had hailed the decision of the central government, saying this would pave the way for Indians outside Kashmir to buy property in the valley.
“Earlier, a person from this part of Bihar could not even think of owning property in Kashmir. The Congress had put such a system in place. But Narendra Modi and Amit Shah changed all that. Article 370 has been scrapped and the people now have a license to purchase and own property in any part of Kashmir,” Yogi had said while addressing a rally in the run-up to the Bihar elections.
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