Suggestions for using Waqf land for education, health facilities made at Par panel meeting

Pal later told reporters that the stakeholders who spoke to the committee on Thursday will give a detailed response later, responding to questions raised by many MPs.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Thursday received support from a group of Muslims, including academicians and clerics, at the meeting of a parliamentary committee scrutinising the draft law, and some of them suggested that Waqf properties should also be used to open educational and health facilities.

Syed Abubakar Naqvi, ex-chairman of the Waqf Board, Rajasthan, Mahrukh Mirza, former vice chancellor of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Language University, Lucknow, and Maulana Raza Husain of Majlis-e-ulema-e-Hind, were among those who appeared before the joint parliamentary committee headed by BJP MP Jagdambika Pal. Naqvi, sources said, described the bill as progressive, which will boost the country’s development, as he added that the existing law was full of shortcomings. The proposed law has good provisions for poor children and widows, he added.

A few opposition MPs, sources said, questioned the general statement made by some of those who appeared before the panel in support of the bill, without offering specific comments on its different clauses.

Husain said the bill’s move to curb corruption is a good step. If the new law boosts the progress of the community and the country, then it is welcome, he said. However, he asserted that the government should ensure that Waqf properties should be used for the purpose they are meant for. He said he also had some objections to the new bill.

Mirza said Waqf land should also be used for opening educational institutions and hospitals across the country. He said Muslims should be given 50 per cent of the seats, while Dalit and backward communities should get the rest, sources said.

Pal later told reporters that the stakeholders who spoke to the committee on Thursday will give a detailed response later, responding to questions raised by many MPs.