J&K: Government bulldozes property of Hizbul Mujahideen commander in Pahalgam
What's the story
In a significant development, the civic authorities in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday demolished the property of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander Ghulam Nabi Khan alias Amir Khan in South Kashmir's Anantnag district. According to reports, an extension of Khan's house was purportedly erected on government land in the Pahalgam area and was demolished by the Pahalgam Development Authority (PDA) on Saturday morning.
Details
Khan crossed over to Pakistan in 90s
Officials told India Today that PDA carried out the drive in the presence of a Magistrate, Lewar village of Anantnag district. Officials had employed a bulldozer for the demolition of the compound wall allegedly built on government land. Notably, Khan is an operational commander of HM and crossed over to Pakistan in the early 90s. Since then, he has been operating from there.
Twitter Post
Images of the action shared on Twitter
Jammu and Kashmir Administration demolishes property of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist commander Amir Khan, in Anantnag's Pahalgam pic.twitter.com/x1F28YFwAK
— ANI (@ANI) December 31, 2022
History
Similar action against JeM commander
On December 10, the administration also demolished the home of another terrorist commander Ashiq Nengroo in Pulwama's New Colony, which was built on encroached government land. Nengroo belonged to the banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Following the demolition, the terror group the Resistance (TRF) warned the officials that they would be targeted for demolishing Nengroo's house in Pulwama.
Reports
Action part of 'anti-terror' operations: Report
The step was reportedly taken "to make the valley terror-free" and instill people's faith in the government, Daily Excelsior reported citing officials. Notably, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government used demolition drives in several states against people accused in several cases. The move received criticism from the Opposition as alleged misuse of power against people involved in anti-government protests in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.