The attack on Kashmir’s demography began in 2008 with the transfer of 40 hectares of land to the Amarnath shrine, which included the establishment of housing facilities for Hindu pilgrims. Today, history seems to be repeating itself with proposed settlements for retired soldiers. The delimitation of constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, based on geography rather than population, further oppresses Muslims by minimizing their political representation. This will result in 43 seats for Jammu and 47 for Kashmir, despite the fact that there should be 51 constituencies for Kashmir (with a population of 6.8 million) and 39 for Jammu (with a population of 5.3 million), paving the way for a Hindu CM in a Muslim-majority region.
The number of Hindus in Leh and Kargil districts of Ladakh region saw a considerable increase between 2001 and 2011. The proportion of Hindus in Ladakh rose from 6.2% in 2001 to 12.1% in 2011, leading experts to question the validity of such an unimaginable 100% growth in the population of Hindus in a period of ten years.
The Indian government has issued fake domiciles to 4.2 million non-residents to change the demographics of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Additionally, Indian citizens can now apply for jobs in the territory if they have resided there for the last ten years, following the revocation of Article 370 and 35A.
New townships have been constructed in the Dewar area along the Srinagar Baramulla road, with several senior police officers and soldiers already purchasing properties in the region. A housing society for Kashmiri Pandits is also being built in the area. Furthermore, nearly 70 hectares of land in Gulmarg and Sonamarg tourist resorts have been declared “strategic areas,” paving the way for the Indian Army to take control of these land patches with the help of its armed forces.
In its settler-colonial project, India is fast-tracking applications from outsiders to take over vacant land in these areas. The Ranbir Panel Code (PRC) was replaced by the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, meaning that all the laws of the Indian mainland now apply to the disputed territory. The Indian government has also changed land laws and given land to its army, CRPF, and other security forces. Recently, India signed a treaty with Israel to lease mining sites in two places in the Jammu division.