India has now introduced a new domicile law for the Kashmiris, after stripping off the special status given to Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK).

In a notification in a gazette, the government said on Wednesday that a person residing in IoK for 15 years will now be able to call the territory his or her place of domicile.

The law also specified that a person who has studied in a school in the area for a period of seven years and appeared in Class 10th and 12th exam will be considered the domicile of IoK, claimed by international media.

The definition in Section 3A also includes children of those Central government officials, all of India’s service officers, PSU and autonomous central government officials, public sector banks, officials of statutory bodies, central university officials and acknowledged central government research institutes who worked in Jammu and Kashmir for a total of 10 years.

It also includes children of parents who fulfill any of the conditions stated in the sections.

Omar Abdullah, former IoK chief minister, took his handle on Twitter, and denouced the new law.

You can imagine how hollow the domicile law is from the fact that even the new party created with Delhi’s blessings, whose leaders were lobbying in Delhi for this law, have been forced to criticise the #JKdomicilelaw

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) April 1, 2020

In August last year, the Indian government abolished Article 370 of its constitution and split the valley into two union territories. It also placed a curfew in the city, and suspended internet services.

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