India Continues Economic Dispossession of Kashmiris, Seizing 6 Shops Of a Kashmiri Civilian

On 10th May, the National Investigation Agency of India (NIA) seized six shops under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act in Lethpora area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. An official said that the property that has been seized belongs to a Kashmiri Fayaz Ahmad Magray.

The Unlawful Activities Prevention Act is in place to “prevent terror-related activities, unlawful associations, and activities that may endanger the sovereignty and integrity of India.” It allows the government to jail an individual for six months, without a trial or bail, precluding any judicial intervention. According to Amnesty International and the United Nations, the UAPA does not fulfill international human rights standards. The UN has gone on to state that the UAPA makes use of “imprecise criteria, contains a vague and overly broad definition of ‘terrorist act’, allows people to be held in lengthy pre-trial detention and makes securing bail very difficult”.

In Kashmir, the UAPA is being deployed to repress all forms of dissent and expression of the people against the ongoing occupation and settler-colonization. India is broadening the definition of “terrorism” to include all kinds of struggle against the occupation, including non-violent expression.

Under UAPA, numerous Kashmiris have been detained, many have been expelled from employment, and many Kashmiris have been deprived of their homes and properties.