Domicile Certificates: ‘Put a collective fight against settler-colonialism: Mubeen Shah

Srinagar, June 27, KNT: Prominent Kashmir born businessman Mubeen Ahmad Shah who was released after five months detention at the Agra prison has asked people to come together and put a collective fight against what he called settler-colonialism.

After the abrogation of special status of Jammu and Kashmir, authorities have started issuing domicile certificates to non-locals and yesterday an IAS officer from Bihar became the permanent resident of Jammu and Kashmir.

Mubeen Shah according to news agency KNT on his purported facebook account wrote that, “All village/mohalla/town committees of Kashmir should come together and make sure that not a single non-local lives in their areas. They should ask all non-Kashmiris to vacate and leave Kashmir. Each and every local committee must do its part.”

Shah added that, “All of these committees should give clear instructions to people that anyone who tries to give space to non-locals will be socially boycotted and anyone who tries to sell land to any non-Kashmiri will be socially boycotted as well as evicted from the area.”

Shah is an NRI who runs a handicraft business from Malaysia and has an extended family along with business associations in Kashmir. He was detained on the night of August 4, 2019 before J&K special status was revoked, under the public safety act which had led to demands in India and the US for his release.

Mubeen Shah in his facebook post said that, “These committees should also make it clear that any tehsildar or any administrator who’s found to have given domicile to any non-Kashmiri will also be socially boycotted. The social boycott against these people should be very strict.”

“They shouldn’t be allowed to enter into the village/mohalla/town and no one should speak to them or their families or do any kind of work with them.”

Shah said that: “We should think of other efficient measures as well to stop India from changing the demographics of Kashmir. It’s most important for all Kashmiris to come together at this very important stage and collectively fight against settler-colonialism. It’s now or never. It’s do or die. All of us have to join hands and fight now!”

“I find it the only way to stop this settler program of india. Let us do it,” he wrote in another facebook post.

Meanwhile, people in Jammu mostly Dogras are also showing resentment over Domicile certificate issue.

“How can an original inhabitant of J&K rejoice this thing…..I wonder. Time will come (very shortly), when every Dogra, Ladakhi and Kashmiri Pandit in particular will repent on their act of putting trust on this alien party called BJP. Our future generations will never forgive us,” wrote a Kashmiri Pandit Arun Pandita on face book in response to the reports that an IAS officer from Bihar has become the permanent resident of Jammu and Kashmir. Pandita added that: “This is a very Big Slap on the face of every original inhabitant of J&K to give first Domicile certificate to a non-J&K subject.

Another netizen from Jammu Sardar Jasbir Singh wrote: “Our culture, our language and future of our kids are now in danger. This is wrong politics of NC PDP and Congress.”

There are still people outside Jammu and Kashmir who are hailing this move from BJP government but urging the government not to settle any non-local in Jammu but only in Kashmir. Social media is flooded with such messages that have invited sharp reaction from people in Kashmir.