Shri Salman Khurshid, Minister of Minority Affairs, has said that the
issue related to the handing over of 123 wakf
properties situated in Delhi
to the Wakf Board will soon be resolved. Presiding
over the 60th meeting of the Central Wakf
Council here today Shri Khurshid said that he has been personally interacting with
the concerned Ministries and hoped that soon the issue will be put before the
Union Cabinet for final approval. Shri Khurshid
informed Council that as the issue of these 123 properties has deep legal
ramifications, the matter has been referred to the Attorney General of India
for his advice. After that the Ministry of Urban Development will take final
steps towards de-notifying these 123 wakf properties.
The important issues discussed at today’s meeting also
included the issue of Re-unification of Punjab Wakf
Board and the issue of the establishment of Begum Hazrat
Mahal Women Technical
University. The Secretary
of the Central Wakf Council, Shri Ali Ahmed Khan, informed the
Members that the Ministry of Minority Affairs had examined the issue of
Re-unification of the Punjab Wakf Board but has not
found it feasible/ appropriate. Grappling with the issue of providing quality
higher education at affordable fees to the students belonging to the Muslim
community, various models for establishing a Central Minority
status University
on wakf properties were also discussed at the
meeting. The Secretary of the Council also informed that the work relating to
National Wakf Development Corporation is underway in
the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
One of the Members of the Council,
Justice (Retd.) Bilal Nazki
- who has been assigned the task of preparing a Vision Document on the Wakf- circulated a brief synopsis of his Vision Document at
the meeting for wider consultation. A suggestion for creation of a ‘Zakat Fund’ for the welfare of needy Muslims was also given
at the meeting of the Central Wakf Council.
Shri Vincent H. Pala,
Minister of State for Minority Affairs, was also present on the occasion. The following members were
present at the meeting:
1. Justice S. Haider Abbas
Raza (Retd.)
2. Justice Bilal Nazki
(Retd.)
3. Shri Tariq Anwar,
M.P.
4. Smt. Yasmin
Ahmed, IAS (Retd.)
5. Shri Liaquat Ali Khan,
IPS (Retd.)
6. Prof. (Dr.) Qamar Rahman
7. Dr. (Mrs.) Zeenat Shaukat
Ali
8. Maulana Mohd. Fazlur Rahim Mujaddidi
9. Dr. Zahoor Mohammad Khan
10. Shri Shakeel Ahmad Syed
11. Shri M. Iqbal A. Shaikh
12. Dr. Syed Shah Khusro
Hussaini
13. Shri Syed Gulam Afzal Biabani alias Khusro Pasha
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