EDITORIAL: The breakdown of the inter-Dominion talks on evacuee property was only to be expected. The Karachi Agreement of January last specified the area in which evacuee property administration was to function. The Evacuee Property Ordinance that has been promulgated by India not only extends these areas, but also widens the scope of the term “evacuee” so as to give the authorities arbitrary powers to dispossess any Muslim in India of his property on the strength of any unsupported allegation brought against him to the effect that he has acquired interests in evacuee property in Pakistan. The burden of proof will lie not on the makers of the allegation but on one against whom the allegation is made.

… The Muslim property in Bombay alone which is expected to be seized is estimated at nearly 100 crores by those whose sole interest lies in underestimating its value. Under the new Ordinance, a son living in India might be thrown on the street because his father has migrated to Pakistan; and the entire property of a Muslim firm in Bombay might be attached on no better ground than it is sub-office in Karachi is lodged in a building formerly occupied by a Hindu evacuee.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2024