Hurriyat leader’s complex built on encroached J&K land faces bulldozer action

The authorities have been on overdrive mode when it comes to clearing encroachments and reclaiming government land. Many such drives have been carried out in Jammu and Kashmir

New Delhi, Feb 02: Continuing its action against separatists, a bulldozer on Thursday demolished portions of a business complex owned by Hurriyat leader Qazi Ahmed Yasir in Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir after it was proven that the public property had been illegally encroached.

Reports said that a JCB bulldozer was used to tear down portion of the building which was erected illegally on government land.

The demolition was carried out by the officials of the revenue department of the Anantnag District adminsitration on Thursday morning. This action comes as part of the crackdown on illegal structures in parts of the city.

Recently the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in accordance with the directives of the Delhi High Court had sealed down the property of the All Party Hurriyat Conference in Srinagar's Rajbhagh area. The action was taken in connection with a terror funding case.

Jammu and Kashmir | District Administration Anantnag demolished an illegal shopping complex of Hurriyat leader Qazi Yasir in Anantnag pic.twitter.com/oqGQKRq7lf

— ANI (@ANI) February 2, 2023

The complex has six shops, but none of them have been rented out. The shops were not demolished, but the second storey of the building was completely brought down. According to officials the shops in the complex have been sealed, and will be handed over to the Muncipal council in Anantnag.

Who is Qazi Ahmed Yasir:

Qazi Ahmed Yasir is the son of slain politician Qazi Nisar. Qazi Ahmed Yasir is also the former Mirwaiz of South Kashmir. He was suspended from the post in 2018 after a purported video of him surfaced Ahmed in an obscene act with a woman. The case is currently being probed by a body of socio, political, legal and religious activists from Kashmir. Yasir who has been in jail since 2018 was a member of the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) led by its chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

Demolition drive:

On Tuesday, the authorities carried out an anti-encroachment drive to retrieve state land from alleged occupation by three prominent political and two business families.

The authorities had retrieved land from two former legislators and the heirs of a former chief minister during a demolition drive in south Kashmir's Anantnag district.

The authorities had also recovered 52 kanals of land belonging to the UT and demolished buildings in Srinagar that were said to be built by two business families. The government also seized a Pahalgam guest house which was constructed on state property.

Home of terrorist razed:

In December last year, the house of terrorist Ash Nengroo in Pulwama's New Colony was demolished after it was found that it was built on encroached land. Nengroo is a designated terrorist of the proscribed outfit, Jaish-e-Mohammad.

Nengroo is one of the accused in the Pulwama attack and currently operates out of Pakistan and oversees the operations of the Jaish-e-Mohammad in Jammu and Kashmir.