JPC on Waqf (Amendment) Bill meets Muslim clerics, UP govt representatives

Lucknow: The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill held its meeting here on Tuesday in which senior Muslim clerics, UP ministers and members of the committee took part and exchanged views on the contentious Bill.

The meeting was attended by JPC chairman Jagadambika Pal, UP Shia Waqf Board chairman Ali Zaidi, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, UP minority affairs minister Om Prakash Rajbhar and others.

JPC chairman Jagadambika Pal later said that the committee invited suggestions and objections from different stakeholders on the matter.

"This law is being enacted to ensure better functioning of the Waqf Board. It's our last meeting here. We have held meetings in different states," he said.

According to the sources, Rajbhar said in the meeting that the state government had conducted a large scale survey of the claimed Waqf properties.

"Till now, there was no data of Waqf properties in the state. How many are registered and how many unregistered....how many of them are government properties but are being claimed to be Waqf properties ", he added.

The minister termed the opposition to the Bill as "politically motivated" and said that those who had illegally occupied the Waqf properties, were opposing the Bill.

Zaidi, who put forth the views of the Shia Waqf Board, said that he had raised the legal aspects involved in the matter before the committee.

Pal said that the discussions were held with the Muslim representatives in a cordial manner and added that the committee would submit its report soon.

He said that the main objective of Waqf was "charitable". "When a person donates his properties to Waqf, his wish is to help the poor Muslims, women, children and widows and also help them in getting education and health facilities," Pal added.

He, however, said that complaints were being received almost on a daily basis about the misuse of Waqf properties.