IHK Muslim religious bodies facing difficulties to maintain assets

SRINAGAR, June 15: The Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Waqf Board, the premier management body for Muslim shrines in occupied Kashmir, is struggling to maintain its assets because of the puppet administration’s apathy.

The Waqf Board manages 91 shrines and hundreds of other properties across the territory. Ironically, another body, the Waqf Council, which manages the properties of Muslim religious places and shrines in Jammu and Kashmir, other than those managed by Waqf Board, too functions simultaneously.

The idea to run two separate management bodies for the Muslim religious places and shrines concurrently under the administration’s control is not only confusing but also impractical. And as the puppet Chief Minister himself heads both the bodies, the division is comic.

The puppet Chief Minister and his office have become the ceremonial caretakers of the Waqf Board, making it difficult for the board executive to implement their plans. In fact, the other departments involved in the streamlining process like eviction of encroachers, fixation of rent and premium and other aspects of administration started showing least interest.

The story of the Waqf Council is much more tragic. A major chunk of its properties are situated in Jammu province, especially Jammu city besides rural areas in the held valley, and most of it has been encroached upon mainly by the puppet administration itself.

Compared to this, the Governor House directly runs the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) and the Governor uses his authority as its Chairman. Forestland was clandestinely transferred to the board. The decision to this effect was communicated only through a statement from the Governor House a week later. Interestingly, the authorities have been, one after another, facilitating the SASB’s plans.

“If the puppet regime goes out of way to implement the demands made by the SASB through the Governor House, why do the management bodies of the religious places and their assets of the majority community get a step motherly treatment,” asked Bilal, a university student.