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The ruling Hindu nationalist party in India, the Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, has recently revoked laws which barred non-Kashmiris from buying land there. Kashmir was India's only majority Muslim state, but after the revocation of its special status in 2019, it has become part of India's union territories, which means it has little or no autonomy.

Iltija Mufti, the daughter of Mehbooba Mufti, the last Chief Minister of Kashmir before its special status was revoked, says she believes allowing non-residents to buy land risks erasing the cultural identify of Kashmir. Rather than bringing opportunities to improve economic prosperity in Kashmir, she says the move is politically motivated and intended to "humiliate us and to bring us to our knees, financially, socially and in every way possible".

Photo: Houseboats and taxi boats on Dal Lake, Kashmir, India Credit: Getty Images