National Conference Member of Parliament Ruhullah Mehdi has questioned the occupation regime over selective demolition drives, as data shows that more than 3,000 residential and commercial structures have been demolished across Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir during the past two years, rendering thousands of families homeless.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Ruhullah Mehdi was speaking to reporters after visiting the demolished house of journalist Arfaz Ahmad Daing in the Transport Nagar area of Jammu. The house was razed on November 27 during an anti-encroachment drive by the authorities, despite the family’s claim that they had been living there for nearly four decades and were not served any prior notice.

Mehdi criticised the government for failing to provide relief to the affected family, saying the chief minister could have personally intervened by summoning the concerned officials and fixing responsibility. “At least then the truth would have come out,” he said, adding that no one had stopped the elected government from acting.

Referring to a local resident, Kuldeep Sharma, who offered his five-marla land to help the displaced family rebuild their home, Mehdi questioned why the authorities, despite having vast resources, failed to step forward. He said such demolition drives must be stopped, whether in Jammu or in districts like Ganderbal in Kashmir.

Figures reveal that demolition operations under the garb of so-called anti-encroachment drives have intensified across the territory, disproportionately affecting poor, marginalised families, journalists and small traders, often without due process or adequate rehabilitation. The Srinagar MP warned that a government elected through votes cannot afford to ignore public suffering.

“If it fails, the same people who brought it to power can also pull it down,” he cautioned. Ruhullah Mehdi also raised concerns over the handling of student protests related to reservation issues, questioning why the elected government failed to engage in dialogue with protesting students instead of allowing the situation to escalate.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)