Lucknow, Feb 14 (PTI) Prominent Shia cleric and Majlis-e-Ulama-e-Hind general secretary Maulana Syed Kalbe Jawad on Friday strongly opposed the Waqf bill introduced by the government in Parliament, calling it an attempt to take over waqf properties.

"This is not a Waqf Amendment Bill; it is a 'Waqf Eradication Bill.' All 14 provisions in this bill are against waqf," Jawad told reporters after Friday prayers at Asifi Mosque in Lucknow.

"The government wants to seize waqf properties and use them for its own purposes. This will never be accepted," he asserted.

Jawad also criticized the conduct of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), which was tasked with gathering opinions on the bill, calling it "unconstitutional".

"The way the JPC presented this bill in Rajya Sabha was undemocratic and unconstitutional," he alleged.

"JPC chairman Jagdambika Pal deliberately ignored the views of those directly associated with waqf, while prioritizing opinions of outsiders. This committee was formed just to deceive people, and now it has been proven." Jawad also questioned why only Muslims were being asked to furnish documents for their waqf properties.

"Are waqf properties owned only by Muslims in India," he asked.

"Thousands of temples are built on government land, some even on waqf properties. Will the government demand documents from them too?" He further stated, "Many government buildings are constructed on waqf land, and we have proof. When will these buildings be handed over to Muslims?" Rejecting the government's claim that the bill is aimed at "public welfare and national interest," Jawad countered, "Does national development depend on seizing Muslim waqf properties? Other religious trusts have assets worth billions, ”why aren't they being brought under this law?" He also called for utilizing the wealth and gold stored in temples for national economic growth, arguing that "if the government is truly concerned about public welfare, temple assets should also be used for the country's benefit".

Jawad made it clear that the bill would face strong resistance.

"We will never accept this bill. We stand with the All India Muslim Personal Law Board's position on this and will soon launch an organized movement against it," he declared.

He also urged opposition parties to come together and oppose the bill with a structured plan.

"The opposition must adopt a well-planned strategy and vote against this bill in a united manner," he said.

According to a government explainer of September 2024, Waqf refers to properties dedicated exclusively for religious or charitable purposes under Islamic law, and any other use or sale of the property is prohibited.

Waqf means that the ownership of the property is now taken away from the person making Waqf and transferred and detained by Allah. 'Waqif' is a person who creates a waqf for the beneficiary, it stated.

"As Waqf properties are bestowed upon Allah, in the absence of a physically tangible entity, a 'mutawalli' is appointed by the waqif, or by a competent authority, to manage or administer a Waqf. Once designated as waqf, the ownership is transferred from the person making the waqf (waqif) to Allah, making it irrevocable," it added. PTI SLM KIS ZMN ZMN

Waqf bill challenged as unconstitutional takeover; community leaders call for coordinated organised opposition. A prominent Shia cleric asserts the proposed Waqf bill amounts to seizure of waqf properties and labels several provisions hostile to waqf; he alleges the Joint Parliamentary Committee process was undemocratic and ignored stakeholders. He contests the selective targeting of Muslim waqf properties versus other religious trusts or government uses of waqf land, rejects the government's public welfare rationale, announces organised resistance with Muslim representative bodies, and urges unified political opposition. The text reiterates that Waqf denotes irrevocable dedication to religious or charitable purposes with a mutawalli appointed to manage the property.