Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 14: National Conference (NC) MLA from Gurez, Nazir Ahmad Khan Gurezi, today said that the party has strongly opposed the recently passed Waqf Amendment Bill and will continue protesting until the amendments are withdrawn.
Speaking to reporters, Gurezi termed the bill an attack on Muslim religious institutions: “There is nothing superior to religion. We have registered our protest against the Waqf Amendment Bill and will continue to do so until the amendments are rolled back. For PDP and other parties, there might be other priorities, but for me, nothing surpasses religion,” he said.
He alleged that the act is intended to interfere in religious matters and goes against the interests of Muslims across the country. “Attempts are being made to interfere in religious affairs. An act has been passed that affects the Muslim community nationwide,” he said.
The senior NC leader, who has served in the legislative assembly for two decades, said he had never seen ruling party members disrupt the house over any issue. “In 20 years, I have never seen treasury benches disrupt the House and prevent it from functioning for three consecutive days. This shows how seriously NC MLAs took the issue and wanted to debate it – but they were not allowed,” he said.
Responding to allegations that the protest was staged, Gurezi said, “Only Allah knows what is in our hearts. Everyone has to die one day. Our aim was to register our protest and send a message to the forums that make laws for us.”
He also pointed out that opposition to the bill was not limited to Muslim lawmakers. “There were 231 members in Parliament, 90 percent of whom were Hindus, who opposed the bill, saying it interferes with religion. This should not happen in a secular country,” he said.
Taking a dig at political rivals, Gurezi said, “The people who brought BJP and RSS into Jammu and Kashmir and paved the way for the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A are now blaming the NC. This is unfortunate. But people now know the truth. Earlier there was fear in speaking up, but not anymore.”
He expressed hope that the judiciary would intervene. “We are hopeful the court will take this issue seriously and not allow the government to interfere in matters of faith. The final decision will be ours,” he added.
Gurezi also mentioned speeches by leaders like Agha Ruhullah, reaffirming the NC’s democratic approach. “We have reiterated that we will fight democratically and continue to do so,” he said.
Dismissing talk of internal rifts, he said, “There may be differences in personal opinions, but there is no division within the NC. We are united in our goals.”
He said the party stands by the promises it made. “We promised to pass a resolution against the abrogation of Article 370 – we did that. We promised to raise the demand for statehood – we fulfilled that. If anyone expects us to use foul language or resort to abuse, we will not do that. We will continue to fight for our rights through democratic means,” he said.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
