Srinagar, Apr 10: Amid growing anxiety over the status of religious institutions, concerns have deepened across Jammu and Kashmir after the Legislative Assembly failed to pass a resolution on the Waqf Act, prompting former Chief Minister and PDP President Mehbooba Mufti to convene an urgent meeting of her party’s senior leadership.
The meeting, held in Srinagar, was attended by prominent PDP figures including Dr Mehboob Beigh, Asiya Naqash, Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura, Muhammad Khursheed Aalam, Basharat Bukhari, and others. The leaders reportedly discussed at length the implications of the delay in addressing Waqf-related matters in the legislative forum.
Party sources told the news agency KNT that Mehbooba Mufti expressed serious concern over the silence of the Assembly on the issue, calling it a matter of deep religious and administrative significance. “The failure to pass a resolution on the Waqf Act is not just a political lapse, it affects the religious sentiment and autonomy of our institutions,” she reportedly told party colleagues.
The Waqf properties, which include shrines, mosques, and graveyards, have long been central to the religious and cultural fabric of Muslim society in the region. Any delay or ambiguity in governing their administration through proper legislation has triggered apprehension within the community.
Leaders present at the meeting emphasized the urgent need for clear legislation that protects Waqf assets from mismanagement or political interference. They also called upon the government to clarify its position on the Waqf Act and ensure the sanctity of religious bodies. [KNT]
