J&K Leaders Unite Against Waqf Bill, Call It a Threat to Religious Rights
Srinagar, April 3, 2025 – Political leaders across party lines in Jammu and Kashmir have strongly opposed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, introduced in Parliament by the BJP-led government. They have termed the bill an attack on the religious rights of Muslims and a move to disempower the community. However, J&K Waqf Board Chairperson and BJP leader Darakshan Andrabi has defended the bill, calling it a step toward transparency and accountability.
Opposition Voices
- Omar Abdullah, J&K Chief Minister and National Conference leader, criticized the bill for targeting one religion. “For us to accept this bill is very difficult as only one religion is being targeted through this bill,” he said, adding that his party’s MPs would vote against it.
- Sajad Lone, Handwara legislator and People’s Conference chief, called the bill a direct assault on the religious autonomy of Muslims. “The proposed amendment by Parliament is a blatant interference in our faith aimed at divesting rightful custodians of their authority,” he stated.
- Mehbooba Mufti, PDP president and former J&K Chief Minister, accused the BJP of systematically disempowering Muslims. She urged Hindus to raise their voices against the bill, warning that it could lead to further divisions in the country.
- Altaf Bukhari, Apni Party president, described the bill as a direct threat to the Muslim community’s control over Waqf assets. He argued that transparency and effective management could be achieved without amending the existing Waqf Act.
- The Justice and Development Front (JDF), launched by former Jamaat-e-Islami members, condemned the bill as an affront to the autonomy of Waqf institutions and a threat to historical endowments.
Political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir have blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for trying to disempower Muslims of India by introduction of Waqf bill in Parliament. However, J&K Waqf Board president and senior BJP leader, Darakshan Andrabi backed the bill which was introduced in the house on Wednesday.
J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah was among the first J&K political leaders to oppose the bill on Tuesday and the party’s two MP’s will vote against this bill. “For us to accept this bill is very difficult as only one religion is being targeted through this bill,” Omar told media persons after inauguration of free women bus service in Srinagar on Tuesday.
Legislator from Handwara Sajad Lone voiced strong opposition to the proposed amendment to Waqf laws, terming it an attack on the religious rights of Muslims. “Waqf by definition is the custodian of properties which are collectively owned by Muslims. It is an Islamic concept,” he wrote on X. Lone said the move amounts to a direct assault on the religious autonomy of Muslims. “The proposed amendment by Parliament is a blatant interference in our faith aimed at divesting rightful custodians of their authority,” he asserted, calling it “yet another right-wing trespass.”
An effort disempower Muslims: Mehbooba Former J&K CM and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said this bill is an effort to disempower Muslims in the country. “We don’t have any hope on the BJP government as they have been trying to disempower Muslims from past 10 to 12 years, mosques are being destroyed, Muslim graveyards are being encroached, Our Hindu brothers should come forward, this nation belongs to Gandhi and should be run according to constitution not by the agenda of BJP,” she said and added that BJPs policy are aimed at breaking the country, so Hindus should raise their voices. “We should prevent our country from becoming Myanmar where Muslims were targeted.”
Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari termed this bill as a direct threat to Muslims. “This legislation poses a direct threat to the Muslim community’s control over Waqf assets and administration.If passed, Waqf boards have to register properties with district collectors for valuation, and all board members will be government-appointed—an undue interference in religious affairs.While transparency and effective management are essential, they can be ensured without amending the existing Waqf Act,”
Altaf Bukhari said in a statement. Justice and Development Front (JDF), a party launched by former Jamaat-e-Islami members, also unequivocally condemned the proposed Waqf Bill. “This bill is an affront to the longstanding traditions and autonomy of waqf institutions, undermining the very fabric of our heritage and social welfare system. By granting unchecked authority to the state over waqf properties, this legislation not only threatens historical endowments but also paves the way for arbitrary dispossession and misuse,” it said.
Support for the Bill
Darakshan Andrabi, Chairperson of the J&K Waqf Board, defended the bill, stating that it would bring transparency and accountability to the management of Waqf properties. “Once this bill gets passed in Parliament, it will strengthen the governance of Waqf properties in the country,” she said.
