Waqf Act needs to be reviewed

NEW DELHI, May 12: The Waqf Act of 1995 needs to be reviewed, said experts and Islamic scholars here on Monday. This has to be done so th...

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NEW DELHI, May 12: The Waqf Act of 1995 needs to be reviewed, said experts and Islamic scholars here on Monday. This has to be done so that Waqf properties can be better utilised for the welfare and education of the community.

Former Chief Justice of Supreme Court A.H. Ahmadi who inaugurated an “International Seminar on Waqf experiences in South Asia” said the income from Waqf properties should be utilised to eradicate illiteracy in the Muslim community and help Islamic institutions work for the betterment of society.

The Awqaf (Waqf properties) in India were almost derelict, with over 100,000 properties and establishments having been either encroached upon or forcibly occupied and hardly serving the purpose they were meant for, said experts and Islamic scholars from India at the seminar.

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They said that although Wakf Boards were functioning in almost all the states in the country, very little had been done to use Wakf money for educational and economic upliftment of the people.

Dr Manzoor Alam, chairman of the Institute of Objective Studies, said that unscrupulous elements were taking advantage of the situation due to the mismanagement of Wakf Boards. Of the 34,000 Wakf properties in Punjab, only 40 per cent were under its possession, he said.

The seminar, which was jointly organised by the Institute of Objective Studies, Islamic Development Bank and Awqaf Foundation of Kuwait, felt the existing law regarding Waqf properties and other issues in India, Pakistan and other nations needed review.

The seminar was attended by 25 delegates from various countries in the Islamic world, besides 250 representatives and scholars from India. Noted Islamic scholars and legal luminaries presented their papers on the status of Awqaf in the region.

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The seminar also adopted an eight-point resolution, which said that the region already had administrative rules and regulations. But these are in need of critical study and research, only then would all the countries possessing the system be benefited.

It felt that the income generated from the Awqaf could be utilised for solving the problems of educational backwardness, economic poverty and overall under-development of the Muslims.

All possible methods should be used for this purpose in accordance with the authentic Awqaf Jurisprudence and the relevant national laws.

The scholars decided to form a committee of 15 to 20 eminent personalities to suggest ways and means for improving conditions of the Waqf. Workshops will be organised in future in this regard, says Dr Manzoor Alam, chairman of the Institute of Objective Studies (IOS).

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Scholarships will be given to those conducting research in Awqaf affairs in the country, he added.