Soldiers Have Rights On Waqf Lands: Uttarakhand Board Tells JPC

CM Dhami said if the Waqf Board had given such a suggestion, then certainly Uttarakhand had always been the land of heroes and Sainik Dham.

Dehradun:The Joint Parliamentary Committee to amend the Waqf Board has sought suggestions from the people. In this connection, the Uttarakhand Waqf Board has suggested that soldiers should also have rights over these lands.

The state Waqf Board manages thousands of acres of land. Its chairman Shadab Shams always raised questions about the division of these lands.

Shams said just as the property of the Waqf Board is the property of the entire nation, similarly a soldier is also a soldier of the nation. Religion and sect do not matter here. It has been suggested to JPC that soldiers should have the right over Waqf land. However, the discretion to implement the amendment lies with JPC.

Welcoming the suggestion, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said it was an innovative initiative. If the Waqf Board had given such a suggestion, then certainly Uttarakhand had always been the land of heroes and Sainik Dham. In such a situation, if the soldier had the right over the Walf land, then it is a matter of good fortune.

In a related development, the JPC on the Waqf Amendment Bill on Tuesday agreed to hear the views of the Delhi government after protests by opposition members over the presentation of the Delhi Waqf Board official.