NC MLA slams LG over officer transfers, BJP’s Waqf Bill in heated Pulwama meeting

PULWAMA — National Conference (NC) MLA Ghulam Mohiuddin Mir on Saturday accused Jammu and Kashmir’s Lieutenant Governor (LG) of overstepping his authority by transferring administrative officers without consulting the elected government, calling the move a disregard for democratic norms.

Speaking at a workers’ meeting at the NC’s district headquarters in Pulwama, Mir—who represents the Rajpora constituency—said the LG “should know his limits” and stop interfering in governance.

“The elected government is supreme, not the LG,” he asserted, condemning recent JKAS officer transfers as an attempt to bypass public mandate.

Mir also sharply criticized the BJP-led Central government’s proposed Waqf Amendment Bill, calling it a “direct onslaught against Muslims” meant to “push the community to the wall.”

He pledged the NC’s support for Congress’s plan to challenge the bill in the Supreme Court and vowed that party leaders, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, would oppose it “on all platforms.”

The MLA urged workers to mobilize for Abdullah’s upcoming visit to inaugurate the long-delayed Rahmoo bridge next week. The Pulwama gathering was Mir’s first since winning the Rajpora seat.

Echoing Mir’s remarks, former Pulwama MLA Mohammad Khalil Bandh told The Kashmir Pulse that the BJP was “marginalizing minorities,” particularly Muslims.

“Waqf properties are donated voluntarily for religious purposes—no land was snatched,” he said, alleging the bill was forcibly imposed.