Amid chaotic scenes and repeated adjournments in the Jammu Kashmir Assembly over the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill, the government made a significant disclosure during a disrupted Question Hour on Tuesday: over 83,000 domicile certificates have been issued to non-state subjects in the region over the past two years.
The data was shared in a written response to PDP legislator Waheed Parra, who had raised the question.
According to the government, a total of 35,12,184 domicile certificates have been issued during this period, with 83,742 granted to individuals who are not original residents of the erstwhile state.
Although the disclosure was largely overshadowed by protests from National Conference legislators over the Waqf bill, the figures have sparked fresh concerns among regional political parties, who have long warned of demographic changes and lack of transparency.
“This isn’t just about the Waqf Board,” said Waheed Parra. “It’s about accountability across the board. The government is silently redrawing the region’s social fabric.”
Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather initially tried to continue with proceedings, but ultimately adjourned the House for the day due to persistent sloganeering and disruption.
With the Assembly going through one of its most turbulent sessions in recent years, the issue of domicile distribution—especially to non-locals—is likely to remain a politically sensitive topic.
Opposition parties are expected to raise the matter again when the House resumes.
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
