India under Narendra Modi, continues to pursue a concerning trend of depriving Kashmiris of their properties, as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seizes 11 properties valued at billions of rupees in Srinagar, occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According Kashmir Media Service, the ED’s action targeted properties on the pretext of an alleged bank fraud.
A spokesperson for the investigating agency stated, “The ED has provisionally attached immovable properties worth crores, including 18 kanals of land and buildings, owned by Isfaq Ahmad Zargar, Khalil Ahmad Mughal, Asaraf Dev, and Sayed Kaushar Niyazi, in a bank fraud case.”
The ED’s investigation stems from an FIR registered by the Maisuma Police Station, Srinagar, regarding a purported loss to Canara Bank’s Budshah Chawk Branch, Srinagar.
In response to the developments, experts have expressed concerns over India’s strategy of attaching properties under the guise of social crimes. “India’s tactic of attaching properties on the pretext of social crimes marks a dangerous escalation in its treatment of Kashmiris,” remarked Dr. Ali, a political analyst specializing in South Asian affairs.
“This move further exacerbates tensions in the region and reflects a broader pattern of systemic discrimination against Kashmiri Muslims,” he added.—KMS
