Throughout history, colonial enterprises have relied heavily on one key strategy: the control and exploitation of land. For colonizers, land represents power, wealth, and permanence. It is not merely a physical resource but the foundation upon which the structure of domination is built. Land is the lifeline of indigenous populations that provides sustenance, identity, and cultural continuity. The usurpation of land, therefore, is not only an act of economic dispossession but also one of cultural annihilation, aimed at erasing the historical and spiritual ties between a people and their homeland. This systematic appropriation—often masked under the pretext of development and progress—lays the groundwork for settler colonialism. Settler colonialism differs from classical colonialism in its ultimate goal. While traditional colonial powers primarily sought to extract resources, settler colonialism seeks to replace the indigenous population with an invasive settler society that develops its identity and institutions on the seized land. This process is meticulously orchestrated involving legal frameworks, infrastructure projects, and propaganda campaigns that aim to justify the dispossession as a benevolent act of modernization and development. The fertile land under indigenous stewardship is thus transformed into a tool of subjugation and stripped of its original character to serve the colonizer’s vision. The more we understand this, the more can we wake up and fight for our rights.

We all see and hear about the news that, under the garb of infrastructure development and economic progress, India—our occupier—has launched an aggressive campaign to seize vast swathes of land in our beloved homeland. What we are witnessing is not merely a series of construction projects but the systematic restructuring of Kashmir’s geography, economy, and demography to serve a settler colonial agenda. One of the most glaring examples of this land grab is the proposed 77.5-kilometer Anantnag-Pahalgam railway line. This project cuts through the fertile Lidder river basin in south Kashmir and is bound to displace thriving agricultural communities and devastate ecosystems. The affected villagers, many of whom were unaware of the project until its maps surfaced, are being pushed to the margins without consultation or consent. This is exactly how colonial powers operate. Decisions are made in distant corridors of power, with no regard for the lives they disrupt.

The Pahalgam railway line will require over 10,000 kanals of land, much of it agricultural. This figure dwarfs the 16,000 kanals taken for the 119-kilometer Qazigund-Baramulla railway line. Compensation—if paid at all—is inadequate will definitely fail to account for the emotional and economic value of the land. The ecological cost is equally staggering. The project will carve through three major wildlife sanctuaries and forest ecosystems of Overa-Aru, Tral, and Khillan. These fragile ecosystems, home to diverse flora and fauna, will be irreparably damaged by the construction of tunnels and tracks. Environmental activists have raised alarms about the irreversible impact on the Lidder valley’s biodiversity and micro-climate. Yet, their voices are drowned out by a narrative that prioritizes connectivity over conservation. The real motive behind the Pahalgam railway, however, becomes clear when viewed through the lens of the Amarnath Yatra. The railway will facilitate the influx of thousands of Hindu pilgrims to the Amarnath cave and turn what was once a challenging journey into a seamless commute. This is not about development for Kashmiri people; it is about the Hinduization of Kashmir and they have been using every resource at their disposal to see it happen in near future.

Parallel to the railway projects, the Indian government has unveiled plans to construct 30 satellite townships along the proposed Semi Ring Road around Srinagar. These townships, covering an average area of more than 200 hectares each, will require an astounding 6,000 hectares (nearly 118,000 kanals) of land, much of it currently used for agriculture. This massive land acquisition will displace tens of thousands of Kashmiris and strip them of their livelihoods and sever their ties to the land. The proposed townships are shrouded in secrecy, with no clarity on who will inhabit them. Given India’s broader demographic engineering efforts in Kashmir, it is becoming clearer that these settlements are intended for outsiders. This aligns with India’s larger settler colonial strategy that aims to alter the region’s demography to dilute its Muslim majority character. By creating exclusive enclaves for settlers, the Indian state seeks to establish a permanent foothold and further marginalize the indigenous population.

Under the guise of development, these projects are fundamentally about dispossession. For the colonizer, development is a tool to legitimize their control and they always present the colonized population’s resistance as opposition to progress. But for the colonized, these projects are existential threats. They erase traditional livelihoods, disrupt social structures, and sever the spiritual bond between people and their land. In Kashmir, where land is already scarce, these projects are a death knell for countless families. For Kashmiris, this land grab represents a multifaceted assault. It is an economic disaster, as fertile agricultural lands are converted into infrastructure projects and urban settlements. It is an ecological catastrophe, as fragile ecosystems are destroyed to make way for railways and roads. And it is a cultural tragedy, as the very fabric of Kashmiri society—rooted in its land—is systematically unraveled. The grand settler colonial project in Kashmir is not an isolated initiative but a well thought strategy to erase Kashmiri identity and replace it with a Hindu one. Our response this time will determine our future.