Parliamentary Joint Committee on Waqf Bill likely to visit Jammu and Kashmir 

Chairman of Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf Bill Jagdambika Pal.
| Photo Credit: ANI

The Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf Bill is likely to visit Jammu and Kashmir, chairman of the panel and BJP MP Jagdambika Pal said on Thursday (December 26, 2024), at the end of a day-long meeting of the committee.

Several members of the panel have argued that the report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 would be incomplete if the panel does not visit the Union Territory with the largest Muslim population. The Muttaheda Majlis-e-Ulama (MMU) headed by Hurriyat chairman and Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq had also written to the committee seeking to present their position on the Bill. 

“These amendments have sparked significant concerns and anxiety within the community due to their potential impact on religious, social and charitable institutions. The critical nature of these amendments could undermine the autonomy and fundamental purpose of Waqf properties. The organisation believes that the proposed changes could have far-reaching implications on the welfare and self-governance of the Muslim community in the region,” the MMU, which is a conglomerate of 46 religious bodies and Islamic education institutions, said in a statement issued on November 28. 

Mr. Pal told reporters at the end of the meeting on Thursday that the committee had conducted 18 to 20 tours and was planning to visit West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. “Our members also want to go to Jammu and Kashmir. For this, we will seek the Speaker’s permission,” Mr. Pal said. 

The committee on Thursday heard the representatives of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. “We had called the Principal Secretary of the Minority Affairs Departments of these States and asked them to bring information on properties that have been registered and other details. But we haven’t got a satisfactory reply so far,” he said. 

The panel will meet again on Friday (December 27, 2024) when officials from Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Delhi are scheduled to arrive. 

Recently, the Lok Sabha approved a motion to extend the tenure of the panel and mandated the presentation of their report by the end of the Budget Session in 2025. The panel has had 27 meetings so far in Delhi.