The Hindu : National : Waqf ban on speeches draws flak

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Sunday, Aug 28, 2005

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National

Waqf ban on speeches draws flak

Shujaat Bukhari

Kashmir political parties say the diktat curbs their rights "Waqf Board belongs to the Muslims of Kashmir and Government should not interfere in its functioning."

SRINAGAR: The move by the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board to strictly enforce the ban on speeches by political leaders in the shrines and mosques under its control has evoked strong opposition from both mainstream and separatist political parties.

The issue, which has snowballed into a controversy, started with a "request" from Hurriyat Conference leaders Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Abdul Gani Bhat to address a Friday congregation at the mosque of Syed Yaqoob Saheb shrine at Sonwar. According to a local news agency KNS, the issue was discussed at the highest level on the Waqf Board and the Hurriyat leaders were told that they would not be allowed to use the mosque for making political speeches. Similarly the Board instructed all administrators of the shrines and mosques not to allow any political leader to use their premises. It is, however, not known whether Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who is the chairman of the Board, has given his nod.

Hard-line separatist and chairman of a faction of the Hurriyat Syed Ali Geelani said: "We cannot accept this diktat. It is to curb the democratic rights." Mr. Geelani asserted that in Islam, religion and politics went together and "these administrative orders cannot stop any Muslim from making his opinion public in mosques and shrines."

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also took exception to the decision saying it was taken on the direction of the State Government. "Waqf Board belongs to the Muslims of Kashmir and Government should not interfere in its functioning," he told a Friday congregation at the Jamia Masjid.

The Mirwaiz, who also heads the Muttehida Majlis-e-Ulema (United Council of Clerics), said that a strategy would be finalised to counter the Waqf decision, which was aimed at suppressing the ongoing political movement for freedom in Kashmir.

Diversionary tactic

National Conference leader Abdur Raheem Rather termed it "an attempt to divert the attention from the real issues. I do not say that these shrines should be used for asking people to vote for one party or the other but if a priest talks about scarcity of water it does not become a political issue. So it is very difficult to draw a line," he told The Hindu.

Nothing new

However, Waqf Board Chief Executive Iftikhar Andrabi says there is nothing new about what "they call the ban." The Waqf Act of 2003 is much clear that no shrine or mosque can be used by a person or a group for political purposes." Mr. Andrabi referred to clause 11 (a & b) of chapter 3 of the Waqf Act. "These clauses say that these places can be used only for practising and preaching Islam." He said even the erstwhile Muslim Auqaf Trust run by the National Conference nominated Board of Trustees also had similar guidelines.

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