India Notifies Its Citizens For Permanent Residence, Jobs In IOK

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Apr, 2020 ) :Exploiting the situation arising from the spread of coronavirus in the world, India took another step to further erode the Muslim majority status of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) by notifying an order to pave the way for Indian citizens to get permanent resident status as well as jobs in the territory of Indian Occupied Kashmir.

Now 'domicile' has been defined in an order which has been notified by the Indian government as the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Adaptation of State Laws) Order, 2020, as that "who has resided for a period of fifteen years in the UT of J&K or has studied for a period of seven years and appeared in class 10th/12th examination in an educational institution located in the UT of J&K." The order has come into force with immediate effect, Kashmii Media Service reported.

The definition expands to include "children of those central [Indian] government officials, all India services officers, officials of PSUs and autonomous body of central [Indian] government, public sector banks, officials of statutory bodies, officials of central universities and recognised research institutes of central government who have served in Jammu and Kashmir for a total period of ten years or children and parents who fulfill any of the conditions in sections.

" According to the new rules, the State Service Selection board has been re designated as Service Selection Board, omitting the word state.

Under the new law, jobs up to the lowest level of non-gazetted rank have been "reserved" for all those who have resided for a period of 15 years and children of all central government employees who have served for 10-year period in occupied Kashmir.

"Subject to the provisions of this Act, no person shall be eligible for appointment to a post carrying a pay scale of not more than Level-4 (25500) unless he is a domicile of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir," reads section 5A of The Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralization and Recruitment) Act.

All Indian citizens would be eligible for remaining non-gazetted and gazetted posts. Before August 5, all jobs in occupied Kashmir were exclusively reserved for permanent residents of the territory.