With the Waqf (Amendment) Bill set to be taken up for consideration in the Budget Session that starts Friday, after the submission of a report by the Joint Committee of Parliament on it, National Conference (NC) MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi has said that in “a final appeal”, he will meet MPs belonging to BJP allies JD(U) and TDP to raise concerns of the Muslim community. “When the Session starts, I will meet members of different parties, including those of Mr Nitish Kumar's party (JD-U) as well as Mr Chandrababu Naidu’s (TDP). They have substantial Muslim populations in their states and they should be honest to that population and their rights,” Ruhullah told The Indian Express. The Srinagar MP, who was not among those called for deposition by the Joint Committee of Parliament that deliberated the issue, said the Bill, which seeks to bring changes in the administration of Waqf property, poses a challenge to the Muslim community. "How does the right to practise our religion shape up for us in the future?” Ruhullah said. While Ruhullah is one of only three MPs from the Valley, he said that as representatives of the Muslim community, "we have to frame a response" to this. "Of course that response has to be democratic and genuine,” he said. “But the fact is that democratic means have been designed in a way by this regime that it doesn't listen to the minority community… So we need to find ways to respond to this challenge.” On the key issues of concern in the Waqf Bill, Ruhullah questioned powers given to officials, as well as the clause providing for inclusion of non-Muslim members in the Waqf board. He said that since the Waqf functions as per laws derived from the Shariat, Quran and Hadees, “When a non-Muslim is placed in the Waqf, that amounts to interference. It takes away the freedom of functioning of the Waqf.” On Wednesday, in a rare meeting, Ruhullah called on Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who came to New Delhi last week to depose before the Waqf panel and has been in the Capital since. The MP said he primarily wanted to meet the Mirwaiz to discuss what the Hurriyat’s suggestions to the Waqf panel were. “He wanted to discuss the challenges that he felt we will face as a result of this Bill,” Ruhullah said, stressing that there was nothing political about their meeting. The NC MP has been at odds with the party leadership over several issues of contention between the Jammu and Kashmir government and the Centre, demanding that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah press for statehood, among other things. Recently, Ruhullah participated in a protest over the new reservation policy in J&K along with leaders of the NC’s rival PDP. Ruhullah’s meeting with Mirwaiz is also significant in that respect as the Hurriyat leader represents the more hardline stream of Kashmir politics. Asked about the Waqf (Amendment) Bill two days ago, Omar said the final call rests with Parliament.
