Mirwaiz’s 10 busy days in the Capital: Meets Waqf panel, religious leaders, Pandit forum

He flew backmost connected Monday evening.

The improvement is important astatine respective levels. One is that the meetings look to person been held without immoderate authorities interference. But much importantly, it was the archetypal clip that the Mirwaiz engaged connected a legislative issue.

Apart from being Kashmir’s main priest, the Mirwaiz is the caput of the separatist Hurriyat Conference. While helium is not a hardliner and remains an advocator for dialog to resoluteness issues, a governmental connection has gone location that a separatist outfit is acceptable to prosecute with the Centre contempt it stonewalling the Valley’s halfway demands specified arsenic the restoration of Article 370.

The Mirwaiz told The Indian Express that his meetings were meant to “build statement connected matters affecting spiritual practices… since each the laws present use to J&K”. “The Waqf contented is simply a superior substance for the Muslims of J&K and the projected amendments (in the Bill) person caused a batch of interest among the assemblage successful each the 3 regions (Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh).”

He said that successful his gathering with the House panel, helium had conveyed his “strong reservations” connected the Bill and told the members that “this is against the interests of the Muslim community”. “They are disempowering Muslims further, by trying to bring the Waqf nether authorities power and greatly limiting its autonomy.”

The result of the gathering was not “positive”, the Mirwaiz said, with the House sheet appearing to beryllium “not serious” and intent connected “bulldozing through” the amendments. “It seems apt that contempt each efforts, the Waqf Bill volition beryllium cleared successful Parliament,” helium said. “The adjacent enactment past volition beryllium to spell to court.”

While successful Delhi, the Mirwaiz visited the Tablighi Markaz astatine Nizamuddin and met the Ameer of the Tablighi Jamaat, Maulana Saad Kandhalvi. During the tallness of the Covid epidemic, the Tablighi Jamaat was the people of a communal run arsenic a “super spreader” of the virus.

The Mirwaiz besides interacted with Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president Maulana Mehmood Madani, Delhi Jama Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmad Bukhari, and Mufti Mukarram Ahmed of the Fatehpuri Masjid.

The Hurriyat person said these meetings were “constructive”. “The Waqf contented concerns each Muslim successful the country. The broader knowing among the leaders that I met is that antithetic Muslim bodies crossed the state volition person to proceed their discussions connected the people of enactment regarding the Bill.”

The Mirwaiz said helium besides wanted to conscionable Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, but couldn’t. They caput parties – the JD(U) and TDP, respectively – which are allies of the BJP astatine the Centre, and important to the latter’s bulk successful Parliament. Earlier, NC MP Ruhullah who besides met the Mirwaiz successful Delhi had said helium had reached retired to the 2 parties arsenic some Bihar and Andhra person ample Muslim populations.

Ruhullah, whose relations with the NC enactment person lately been strained, had told The Indian Express that his gathering with the Mirwaiz – again a uncommon nationalist enactment betwixt a separatist and a mainstream person – was “essentially to sermon and make a broader statement connected the Waqf amendments”. He added: “Other issues bash travel up during meetings and they were besides discussed connected the sidelines.”

The Mirwaiz besides met definite civilian nine activists where, helium said, the Kashmir issue, the Valley’s governmental situation, economics and improvement came up.

One of the astir important of these was his gathering with the J-K Peace Forum, an organisation of Kashmiri Pandits that called connected him. The 2 parties said they had agreed to signifier a committee to “bridge the gap” betwixt Kashmiri Muslims and Pandits.

“I person been talking astir their instrumentality to the Valley for galore years,” the Mirwaiz said. “No Kashmiri Muslim thinks that the Pandits should not instrumentality to their homes.”

Satish Mahaldar, the president of the J-K Peace Forum, described their gathering arsenic “wonderful” and 1 that could assistance span the gap. “The information is that determination is mistrust connected some sides,” Mahaldar told The Indian Express. “Our archetypal occupation is to physique trust, to make a societal cloth wherever we freely sermon and interact.” –

Mahaldar said the Mirwaiz acknowledged that the Kashmiri Pandits had suffered, conscionable similar their Muslim counterparts successful the Valley. “He said the bulk assemblage feels incomplete without the Kashmiri Pandit. We discussed the instrumentality of Kashmiri Pandits. We agreed to signifier a committee. It is simply a bully beginning.”