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| NC may ask for MAT control | | | ZAFAR CHOUDHARY
Jammu, Jan 18: Signaling the making of an interesting political controversy, the National Conference has written to the government for examining and investigation the affairs of the Muslim Wakf Board which was created after dissolution of the Muslim Auqaf Trust.
The most power religious philanthropy of Jammu and Kashmir, the Muslim Auqaf Trust remained under the management of National Conference and particularly the Abdullah family ever since it was founded by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. However, on September 8, 2003 the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Government took over management of MAT major political development which could simply have been described as a “bloodless overnight coup”.
Looking after 89 shrines in 39 other properties in Jammu and Kashmir the MAT was always a power symbol for the National Conference till the PDP led coalition government took it over on a wide range of reasons: alleged mismanagement of funds and properties and not efforts on utilization of shrine donations for the public good. MAT’s takeover was such a serious setback to NC that a day after the development the party organized protests and demonstration through its units across the state but the general public in the Valley and other Muslim dominant areas remained indifferent.
Since its take over by government through an ordinance and creation of the Muslim Wakf Board, the MAT issue has remained at the heart of a seething and bitter rivalry between Peopples Democratic Party and the National Conference.
With the coming of National Conference to power, an action of the MAT was widely expected but the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah refused to play it up. At his recent press conference in Srinagar when Omar was asked whether the government intended to hand over the management of shrines to the Muslim Auqaf Trust, he said that there had been "no talk on this within the government. We have also not received any proposal from the party to reverse the previous order."
It can be seen in sequel to this statement that the National Conference has written to the Government for probing the affairs of Waqf Board. While sources said that the National Conference has written a letter to the government but it could not be immediately confirmed whether Chief Minister’s office has received any such communication.
It may be recalled that before taking charge of the Muslim Auqaf Trust, the Coalition government had taken over the Sher-e-Kashmir National Medical Trust in July 2003. The SKNMT managed the prestigious Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences which came under the Government control.
Taking over of the MAT had kicked off a major controversy and the National Conference had taken the case to the court. The government, led by the PDP, however justified the taking over on many accounts with depoliticisation as the main reason. Interestingly, immediately its takeover the government took fast measures to make the difference discernible.
It has since been politically powerful rallying for the PDP. “During the decades of its existence, the Muslim Auqaf Trust (MAT) couldn't establish even a single institution of repute as was being done by other religious bodies in the State”, the PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said on December 5 last during a public meeting at Charar-e-Sharief. He added, "within a short span of three years, two Universities – Islamic University of Science and Technology at Awantipora and Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University at Rajouri – and the Bibi Haleema Nursing College in Srinagar were set up by the Wakaf Board (the successor of MAT) with the donations made at various shrines," Sayeed said.
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