Ready to back NC govt to safeguard people’s resources, says Mehbooba

Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti on Friday said her party would provide full support to the National Conference government for safeguarding the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir over land, jobs and resources.

She said that while the government waits for statehood restoration, it should do what it could until then.

“The government should come forward and bring a Bill and we should together try to save our land, jobs and resources. The PDP is ready to provide its full support to the government on this issue,” Mehbooba told reporters here.

She said that since 2019, when the Centre abrogated Articles 370 and 35-A, there has been “an insecurity” among the people of Jammu and Kashmir about their land, jobs and resources.

Referring to the Jammu and Kashmir Land Rights and Regularisation Bill, 2025 that her party has submitted for discussion in the forthcoming session of the Legislative Assembly, Mehbooba said the government should either help pass the Bill or bring its own Bill.

The PDP’s proposed legislation, also termed anti-bulldozer Bill, aims to regularise land holdings of individuals, families and institutions who have been in continuous possession of these lands for over 30 years.

Mehbooba said her party has made a small start to address the issue.

“If the government does not like our Bill, let them bring a Bill. Till statehood is restored, let them save whatever they can and provide some respite to the people,” she added.

The former CM claimed that thousands of kanals of land have been given to outsiders in the name of industrial development. “Only half of that has been given to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. But how many industries have been set up, how many people have been employed so far? I do not see anything in Kashmir, but people in Jammu can better answer this,” she said.

Mehbooba said that while on the one hand, the Centre says that terrorism has ended in Jammu and Kashmir and the situation has improved, on the other, it has “made it easy to provide land to the security forces”. “Can’t our hoteliers compete with Adani, Ambani or Jindals? It is not just the hotels, (land on) Gupkar Road is also on lease. What will Omar sahib do tomorrow if he is told that his lease has ended? Will he leave everything? Similarly, other people have their homes, hotels,” she said, adding that the government must do something on the issue.