(Karachi) In a latest development, India has made changes to land laws for the Union Territories of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh making it possible for any Indian citizen to buy land in the region, local media reported on Tuesday.

The move has sparked fears among locals as it was earlier meant only for permanent residents under Article 370. A notification issued by Indian Home Ministry stated the new law, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Adaptation of Central Laws) Third Order, 2020, would come into effect immediately.

As per details, the removal of special status of the region on August 5, 2019, by BJP-led Indian government opened the door for outsiders to buy land and property, get government jobs and attend institutes of higher education.

Under the new law, “permanent resident of the state” clause has been omitted while 12 state laws have been repealed and 26 others have been adapted with changes or substitutes.

Meanwhile, Minister of States and Frontier Regions (Safron) Shehryar Afridi has condemned the law, saying that the Indian government had introduced a "draconian law [...] on Black Day, reminding how occupant forces of India keeps (sic) on occupying all rights of Kashmiris."

In a tweet he stated, "Now Indians & foreigners are also allowed to purchase land in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir."

Similarly, Kashmiri leader Omar Abdullah criticized the Indian government over the law and said that the development is "unacceptable".

He said, "Occupied Kashmir was "now up for sale and the poorer small land holding owners will suffer."

He added, “Even the tokenism of domicile has been done away with when purchasing non-agricultural land and transfer of agricultural land has been made easier."