Kashmiri leader raises concern about proposed change to Waqf laws

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir

Kashmiri leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq raised concerns Friday about a proposed change to Waqf laws.

Any changes to the Waqf laws "will be resisted by Muslims, particularly in the Jammu and Kashmir region," Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said during his Friday sermon at the Grand Mosque Srinagar.

He addressed key issues such as the inclusion of non-Muslims on the Waqf Board and changes in land dispute resolutions.

Farooq indicated that all the changes would "disempower Muslims all over India and in particular in Jammu and Kashmir region."

Most mosques, shrines and khanqas come under the Waqf board and "many controversial provisions have been proposed … which is a direct interference in religious matters," said Mirwaiz.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) proposed amendments to Waqf laws in parliament on Thursday, triggering uproar.

The bill was later sent to a joint parliamentary committee for deliberations.

Experts likened the move to a "takeover" of autonomous bodies by the government.

Several opposition parties, including the main Indian National Congress party, have criticized the federal government’s move and said "they will oppose the bill."

Indian Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government has held multi-layered nationwide consultations on the bill and the opposition was "misleading Muslims."

Waqf boards are responsible for maintaining Muslim properties in India.

There are currently 356,047 registered Waqf estates, 872,321 immovable properties, and 16,713 movable properties in the country, according to the government-run Waqf Assets Management System of India.

Meanwhile, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, in a letter Friday to Indian Home Minister Amit Shah, sought the resumption of the Line of Control (LoC) trade and bus service between divided Kashmir.

"The move would serve as a significant confidence-building measure for the people and a step towards restoring normalcy in the region," she wrote on X.