PDP President Urges CM Omar to Halt Land Acquisition for Forces in Pulwama | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday appealed to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to step in urgently over the proposed acquisition of fertile Karewa land in Pulwama’s Puchal and Lajurah areas for security forces, warning that the move endangers residents’ only source of livelihood and poses serious safety risks.

Mufti, accompanied by PDP leader and Pulwama MLA Waheed ur Rehman Para, visited the two villages, where locals claimed that several kanals of prime agricultural land are slated to be taken over by the Border Security Force (BSF) for the construction of a security complex.

Quoting residents, Mufti said the Karewas have sustained generations of families and that losing this land would severely damage the local agrarian economy. She said farming on the Karewas is not merely an occupation but the foundation of survival for hundreds of households.

The PDP chief cautioned that establishing a security installation close to residential areas could also expose civilians to increased security risks. In a post on X, she said the proposed takeover of fertile land near inhabited areas would deprive villagers of their livelihoods while creating serious safety concerns.

Mufti recalled that the PDP had introduced a land protection bill in the Assembly to prevent arbitrary and forced acquisitions. She said its rejection had led to an increase in demolitions and land takeovers, leaving people anxious and vulnerable.

“After the rejection of our land protection bill, demolitions have escalated. People now live in fear. When we raised this issue earlier, the bill was wrongly branded as one meant for ‘land thieves’,” she said.

The former Chief Minister said she would also take up the matter with the Defence Minister. Urging Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene, Mufti called for shifting the proposed project to barren or non-agricultural land instead of cultivable fields that sustain families.

MLA Waheed ur Rehman Para said the proposed acquisition violates farmers’ rights and undermines consent-based development. He said the Chief Minister has a responsibility to safeguard farmers’ interests, adding that this was precisely why the PDP’s land protection bill was necessary to prevent forced evictions.