Farooq Abdullah defends Speaker’s call to disallow Assembly debate on Wakf Act

SRINAGAR — National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah has raised serious objections to the recently enacted Waqf (Amendment) Act, asserting that the law runs contrary to the Constitution.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Abdullah welcomed the decision of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Speaker to block a discussion on the amended Waqf law. He reasoned that since the matter is under judicial consideration in the Supreme Court, it would be inappropriate to debate it in the House at this stage.

“This law is unconstitutional. The Speaker made the right call in not allowing discussion while the case is before the Supreme Court. Once the verdict comes, we can deliberate on it,” Abdullah said.

He also took aim at the opposition benches, alleging that their approach lacked substance. “They are opposing for the sake of opposition, without offering any meaningful critique,” he added.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha on April 2 and passed the Rajya Sabha the following day. It received presidential assent on April 5, making it a law.

The legislation has already been challenged in court, and the Supreme Court’s verdict is expected to have significant implications for the administration and regulation of Waqf properties across the country.

Sajjad Lone ‘not amazed’ by Abdullah’s backing of Speaker

Peoples Conference President and MLA Handwara Sajjad Lone today expressed his lack of surprise regarding Dr Farooq Abdullah’s recent statement supporting the Assembly Speaker’s decision to disallow discussion on the Waqf Amendment Bill.

In his media interaction, Lone highlighted what he described as inconsistencies in the National Conference’s approach to the controversial legislation.

“They have 50 MLAs, the Speaker belongs to their party—I fail to understand against whom they were protesting and raising concerns within the Assembly. And now, Farooq Abdullah comes out in support of the Speaker. This is a tremendous mockery,” Lone stated.

Furthermore, Lone emphasized that a historic opportunity was missed to either pass a resolution or at least conduct a meaningful discussion on the contentious Waqf Bill.

“It could have sent a powerful message from the only Muslim-majority province in the country but instead, it appeared as though NC was fighting against itself merely to sabotage the discussion and to appease New Delhi,” he remarked.

When questioned about NC’s plans to challenge the Waqf Bill in the Supreme Court, the PC President noted that while courts will adjudicate according to legal principles, the emotional appeal that could have been conveyed through the Assembly has been squandered.

“As a sole Muslim-majority province, our collective voice would have carried significant weight, but now even if thousands of individuals approach the court separately, the matter will be decided purely on legal grounds rather than reflecting the sentiments of the people. This situation has arisen because NC wanted to please BJP MLAs,” Lone concluded.