Srinagar: Expressing profound concern over the mismanagement at the J&K Waqf Board, Apni Party President, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, said on Friday that the PDP was responsible for rendering this prestigious institution a mess by bringing it under the direct control of the government during its rule in 2003.
He stated that the ruling party at the time, led by Muftis, deliberately altered the autonomous stature of the Waqf Board, placing it under government control to settle political scores with its rival political party —the National Conference.
Apni Party President made these remarks while speaking to reporters at Dargah Hazratbal, following paying his obeisance at the revered shrine today.
He said, “The PDP, led by the Muftis, made a grave mistake during its tenure in government in 2003 by bringing the Waqf Board under government control, and the party did it deliberately to settle its score with its rival NC. Today, this prestigious institution grapples with a dire state of mismanagement from top to toe.”
Furthermore, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari strongly criticized the recent action taken by the Waqf Board authorities, which suspended several officers and staff members of Hazratbal Dargah Sharief, alleging negligence in their duties.
Pertinently, on the eve of Eid-ul-Milad-un-Nabi (SAW), the Chairperson of the J&K Waqf Board, Syed Darakhshan Andrabi, suspended these officers and staff members, citing “grave negligence in their duties.”
Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari criticized the decision to suspend the employees, stating, “If any negligence has been observed at the shrine, those in leadership positions should be held responsible, not the underprivileged employees. The leaders at the top should acknowledge their role in any mismanagement at the holy shrine and should not make the poor employees scapegoats for their inability to manage the Waqf.”
