For decades, National conference was the giant on Jammu and Kashmir’s political stage. The party run and controlled by the Abdullas presided over all kinds of scandals and uprisings in Kashmir. Particularly since 1996, the most sleaze-ridden periods in the political history of Jammu and Kashmir happened under the watch of the National Conference. NC became the safe haven for all kinds of frauds and fraudsters. Many of its former legislatures and office bearers face serious criminal charges.
Politicians and the Kashmir Mafia – also known as Kashmir’s Terrorism – have long been bedfellows. This is not the least because of the dirty money that sustains political parties. Ninety per cent funding of Jammu and Kashmir’s major regional forces – National Conference and PDP – comes from unknown sources. It is a known fact that secret funds also reach the terrorism structures in the region. Links between the political parties and the terrorism structures have often surfaced. The Enforcement Directorate, the National Investigating Agency (NIA) and Jammu and Kashmir are consistently tracking the moles and syndicates to examine these links.
As chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, both Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah presided over some major scandals of Jammu and Kashmir. More and more skeletons are tumbling out of the cupboards as the wrongdoings of party leaders get exposed.
Altaf Ahmad Wani alias Kaloo, former MLA from Pahalgam constituency in Anantnag district is among the NC leaders about whose shady history not much has been spoken. Kaloo hails from Aishmuqam in Pahalgam tehsil.
Kaloo first earned notoriety in 1994 when police arrested him and recovered a fake currency machine from his possession. In 2009, Kaloo was nominated to Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council (now abolished). The case was hushed up soon and Kaloo was granted bail. In September 2010, Kaloo was again arrested by Srinagar police from Nigeen lake in Srinagar. He was in a houseboat in a compromising position with a woman. In 2014, Kaloo won the Pahalgam assembly segment as a National Conference candidate. An engineering dropout from Bengaluru, Kaloo’s quick political ascent even after getting exposed for his conduct clearly implies the wide space that National Conference has for fraudsters.
Kaloo’s Land Grab Racket In Aishmuqam, In Aishmuqam, Kaloo has perfected a land grab racket.
The military installation in Aishmuqam village houses the office of CO RR 3rd. It is spread over 458 kanals. Out of this, 302 kanals is under the jurisdiction of Jammo Patwar halqa and 156 kanals is in Logripora village.
Out of the total 458 kanals, only 51 kanals is proprietary land. The rest is community land (kahcharaie). However, the Army is paying rent for all the 458 kanals of land. Out of 51 kanals of properitary land, 28 kanals belong to Kaloo’s extended family. But the rent is being collected for 155 kanal.
At Kaloo’s behest, the revenue officials at the local level produced the documents that Kaloo’s family possesses 155 kanals here. The fact is that community land cannot be possessed by individuals. Also, benefits from community land must be shared by the entire community. Usually any income from community land is spent on welfare schemes for the area. In this case,
The property has been shown in the name of Waseem Kaloo (Kaloo’s cousin), Nooruddin Kaloo (uncle), Gull Muhammad (uncle), Ghulam Rasool (father), Assadullah (grandfather), Latief Kaloo (cousin), Abdul Majeed Zargar (relative).
Now the next fraud. Assadullah Kaloo, Nooruddin, Gull Muhammad and Abdul Majeed passed away years ago. How is this possible that even though the grandfather passed away many years ago, the revenue entries are still in his name? How is it that a portion of the property is in the name of the deceased, and the rest has been transferred to his legal heirs?
Kaloo’s cronies are also part of the land grab racket at Aishmuqam. Ghulam Muhammad Dar, a contractor by profession and a close aid of Kaloo, is taking rent for 20 kanals of community land. According to revenue records, he is illegally occupying the same 20 kanals. Physical verification revealed that he has built a house and a commercial building over the 20 kanals of state land in his possession. Similarly Ghulam Rasool Mir and Muhammad Ibrahim Numberdar, both close to Kaloo, have community land physically in their possession. They also take rent from the Army for the same Khasra numbers.
The encroachment by Kaloo at village Hangalpawa, Haripora, Khelanyar and Pahalgam will be revealed by KZINE in a subsequent edition.