National News
Why Farooq Abdullah is Villain No. 1 in the eyes of Kashmiri Pandits?

A majority of Kashmiri Pandits view Farooq Abdullah, the former Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, as the main culprit behind the atrocities committed against them.
They believe that he was responsible for all the events that preceded the mass exodus of the minority community and the advent of terrorism in the Valley.
Farooq Abdullah was the Chief Minister from November 7, 1986 to January 18, 1990. It was this period which saw Kashmir gradually falling down the precipice, and despite warnings by intelligence agencies the indifference seemed insurmountable.
In February 1986, massive communal attacks occurred in South Kashmir. Muslim mobs looted and plundered or destroyed the properties and temples of Kashmiri Pandits.
Ghulam Mohammad Shah, the brother-in-law of Farooq Abdullah, was the Chief Minister then. He failed to curb the violence and called in the army to curb the mayhem.
His government was dismissed in March 1986 by the then Governor Jagmohan. It was reported that Mufti Sayeed, then a Congress leader, had instigated the violence as he was keen to be the Chief Minister and replace Shah.
Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister then who later gave Sayeed a seat in the Rajya Sabha and also made him a Union Minister. In November 1986, after months of hectic parleys, Rajiv Gandhi and Farooq Abdullah signed an accord and the latter was reinstated as the Chief Minister.
It was this period that saw the build up to the pogrom.
Ramesh Raina, President (All India Kashmiri Samaj (AIKS), said, “This 1986-1989 period is significant in the history of Kashmir, which is often ignored. The exodus did not happen overnight. There was full preparation for this. Abudllah fooled the nation with this accord. You can say he was incompetent and he didn’t have any control, or you can say he was totally involved, knew everything and let things build up.”
Panun Kashmir leader Ramesh Manvat said, “Muslim Conference, the original avatar of ‘National’ Conference started as a group to fight for the rights of Muslims in Kashmir in 1930s; turned their tide against then Maharaja Hari Singh; nourished the dream of an Independent Kashmir (following their call of ‘Quit Kashmir’ in 1940s) — leading to the dismissal of its founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in 1950s … The legacy of communal Muslim mindset and inconsistencies in National Conference’s approach towards minorities — Kashmiri Pandits and the ‘idea of India’ they represent have been carried forward by Farooq Abdullah, during his long reign as CM of J&K.
“Farooq Abdullah, as a tacit supporter of the happenings on the ground was busy playing golf and giving joy rides to Bollywood heroines, before finally choosing to run away to London when Kashmir was burning and a full-blown genocide of Pandits was taking place.”
Former Director General of Police of Jammu and Kashmir, Shesh Paul Vaid, tweeted on March 16: “Many people in the country do not know this #KashmirFiles fact: first batch of ISI trained were arrested by J&K Police but ill-thought political decisions had them released and the same terrorists later on led the many terrorist organisations in J&K.”
Vaid was the DGP of J&K from December 31, 2016 till September 6, 2018. He also added in his tweet: “Some of the notorious names: Mohammed Afzal Sheikh of Trehgam Rafiq Ahmed Ahangar Mohammad Ayub Najar Farooq Ahmed Ganai Ghulam Mohammed Gujri Farooq Ahmed Malik Nazir Ahmed Sheikh Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din Teli. Could this have been possible w/o the knowledge of the Union Govt of 1989?”
The fact that the intelligence agencies had repeatedly been alerting about the hordes of Kashmiris, especially youth, crossing over to PoK for arms training, went largely unheard of.
A lot of kidnappings were taking place, especially of the government employees, a maximum number of them were Kashmiri Pandits, but no action was taken.
Threats were openly given in local newspapers, posters were pasted and hit-lists made, but the administration seemed lifeless. The then Governor Jagmohan had mentioned the situation to then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi through letters dated April 20, 1990.
“Need I remind you that from the beginning of 1988, I had started sending ‘Warning Signals’ to you about the gathering storm in Kashmir? But you and the power wielders around you had neither the time, nor the inclination, nor the vision, to see these signals. They were so clear, so pointed, that to ignore them was to commit sins of true historical proportions,” Jagmohan wrote in the letter.
His fear came true and the minorities and moderates had to bear the brunt even as Farooq Abdullah left the Valley for London soon after.
“Fifty per cent Kashmiri Pandits fled on January 19. It did not happen suddenly. Farooq Abdullah knows all. He has to answer,” said Ramesh Raina.
“Farooq Abdullah ran away to London while the Valley was burning. He was the founder member of Alfata, JKLF. While he was in chair, youth were freely transported to Pakistan through the LoC. How was it possible without his knowing?
“Why were terrorists being released from jail then? Why did he resign overnight and the next day the exodus happened? It was all planned because then all would have come to his head. So he resigned. But could the exodus have happened without a plot behind it,” he asked.
While Farooq Abdullah was in J&K, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was the Home Minister at the Centre. His role as HM is also questioned by the community.
Surinder Kaul, the chief of Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora, said, “After we were forced to flee from Kashmir, we staged protests. I remember one meeting with then Home Minister Mufti Sayeed in 1990. All he had to say was ‘yes, this is not ok’.
“He had no answers to our questions. We told him, ‘why the local police and intelligence network had just vanished. Why was no one doing their work? Why was there no security’. But he just kept mum. That day I realised that the state and Central power system of our country had collapsed and no one was there to help us.”
“Farooq Abdullah has double standards. He always speaks one thing in Delhi and another in Kashmir. He never provided good governance. He protected the elite and never worked for the common people. To keep his fiefdom alive, he divided the communities. When Kashmiri Pandits were being killed, maimed, women were gang-raped, loot and arson had become the order of the day, where was he,” Kaul asked.
There have been times when Farooq Abdullah had borne the brunt of Kashmiri Pandits’ ire. In 2019, when he tried to meet a group of Kashmiri Pandits, who had come to Srinagar on a pilgrimage visit, he had to make a hastened retreat after slogans were raised against him.
Kashmiri Pandits feel that if Farooq Abdullah had taken strong steps, Kashmir would not have fallen to terrorism and the minorities would not have been tormented and forced out.
The community is seeking answers, and wants a judicial commission be instituted and Farooq Abdullah to be the first one to be investigated.
National News
Conspiracy to make brother fight brother, foil the nefarious attempt of terrorists: Rahul Gandhi

Srinagar, April 25: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi reached Srinagar on Friday. Here he met Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. Along with this, Rahul Gandhi also met the injured and victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.
Regarding the Pahalgam terror attack, he said that whatever has happened, the idea behind it is to divide the society, there is a conspiracy to make brother fight brother. In such a situation, it is necessary that every Indian unites and foils the nefarious attempt of the terrorists.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, while addressing the media, said that this is a terrible tragedy. I have come here to know the situation and help. All the people of Jammu and Kashmir have condemned this terrible attack and they are with the nation. I have met one of the injured people. My love and affection is with all those who have lost their family members. I want to tell everyone that the whole nation stands with them. A day earlier on Thursday, we had a meeting with the government and the entire opposition condemned this attack.
He further said that along with this, we have given full support to any action taken by the government. The idea behind whatever has happened is to divide the society, there is a conspiracy to make brother fight brother. In such a situation, it is necessary that every Indian unites and thwarts the nefarious attempt of the terrorists. It is sad that some people are attacking our brothers and sisters in Kashmir and the rest of the country. We have to unite and defeat terrorism at this time. We have to stand united and together to fight this despicable act and defeat terrorism forever. I also met the Chief Minister and the Lieutenant Governor. They informed me about the incident. I have assured both of them that I and our party will fully support them.
During this, Rahul Gandhi met Congress leaders, workers and local people in Srinagar. He told the party leaders that the whole country is united against terrorism. We have to stay united, stand firm against hatred and terror.
National News
Waqf Act amended to prevent encroachment of government properties, Centre to SC

New Delhi, Apr 25: The Centre, in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, said that it brought amendments to the Waqf Act, 1995, to prevent abuse of waqf legislation which resulted in the encroachment of government properties, apart from ensuring that the Waqf Boards in the country are properly administered and function with transparency.
“It is submitted that there have been reported misuse of waqf provisions to encroach private properties and government properties. It is really shocking to know that after the amendment brought in the year 2013, there is a 116 per cent rise in auqaf area,” said the preliminary affidavit filed by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs.
The Centre, in its reply document filed before the top court, said that it was found that most of the Waqf Boards have been functioning in the “most non-transparent manner” and have either not uploaded the details in public domain or have uploaded partial details.
“In an era of transparency, it is absolutely necessary that all details concerning waqf/waqf boards be uploaded in Waqf Asset Management System of India (WAMPSI) portal,” it contended.
The Union government said that under the old regime, due to the absence of adequate safeguards, government properties and even private properties were declared as waqf properties.
“The provisions of Sections 3A, 3B and 3C take care of the said situation which has been prevailing since several decades. It is submitted that there are startling examples whereby the government lands or even the private lands were declared as waqf properties,” it said in the affidavit.
The Union government said that the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, was passed with the objective of modernising the management of waqf properties in India through transparent, efficient and inclusive measures. It argued that the reforms introduced are directed solely at the secular and administrative aspects of waqf institutions – such as property management, record-keeping, and governance structures – without impinging upon any essential religious practices or tenets of the Islamic faith. The affidavit highlighted that despite there being a regime of mandatory registration of all kinds of waqf, including ‘waqf by user’, making registration mandatory, individuals or organisations used to claim private lands and government lands as waqf including under ‘waqf by user’ which not only lead to deprivation of valuable property rights of individual citizens but similarly unauthorised claims over public properties.
“While registration of all kinds of waqfs (including ‘Waqf by user’) has always been mandatory, the legal regime never required the waqf deed as a mandatory condition. In other words, it was mandatory to register ‘Waqf by user’ even in the absence of a waqf deed by giving other details for more than 100 years.”
Referring to the recently introduced Section 36(1A), the Centre said that the 2025 amendment provides that a waqf may now be established only through a valid deed of waqf. It clarified that the amendment to Section 36 has not interfered with the status of existing/registered auqaf by user, and any existing property which has been registered as waqf by user will retain its status.
The Union government said that a proviso has been inserted in Section 3 by the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, making it clear that the mandatory requirement of a ‘waqf deed’ applies prospectively from the date of the 2025 amendment i.e., if any new waqf is created after April 8.
“Waqfs by user registered before the amendment would therefore continue to be treated as waqf in terms of the proviso,” the Centre said.
The preliminary reply document filed by the Union government said that before introducing the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, there has been a detailed executive level and Parliamentary level exercise in order to understand the problems plaguing the previous statutory regime, the consequences, and the appropriate measures that were required to remedy the same.
The Centre contended that the “primary religious right being the right to make a dedication is not interfered with, and neither is the administration of any specific waqf interfered with as the same continues to be vested with the mutawalli as per the purpose behind such waqf”.
The affidavit said that it is a settled position in law that constitutional courts would not stay a statutory provision, either directly or indirectly, and will decide the matter finally, as there is a presumption of constitutionality that applies to laws made by Parliament.
“While the Hon’ble Court would undoubtedly have the power to examine the constitutionality of the law, at the interim stage, the grant of an injunction against the operation of any provision of the law, either directly or indirectly, would be violative of this presumption of constitutionality which is one of the facets of the delicate balance of power between the different branches of the State,” it added.
In the hearing held on April 17, a bench headed by CJI Sanjiv Khanna had granted a week’s time to the Centre and state governments and the Waqf Boards to file their preliminary reply to the petitions challenging the validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.
The Bench, also comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and K.V. Viswanathan, had taken on record the assurance given by the Union government that it would not de-notify provisions related to ‘waqf by user’ or include non-Muslim members in the Waqf Board.
Posting the matter for further hearing on May 5, the CJI Khanna-led Bench clarified that the hearing fixed on the next date will be a preliminary hearing and, if required, interim orders will be passed.
National
Pahalgam terror attack: Muslim community protests wearing black bands; demands strict action

New Delhi, April 25: In a strong and unified expression of grief and condemnation, members of the Muslim community across India observed a solemn protest during Friday prayers, calling for decisive action against terrorism after the devastating terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, which left 26 people dead and many others injured.
Mosques across cities including Hyderabad, Delhi, Bhopal, Varanasi, and Lucknow witnessed a wave of solidarity as Muslim worshippers wore black bands on their arms as a mark of mourning and resistance against terrorism during the Juma Namaz (Friday prayers).
In Hyderabad, AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi distributed black bands among worshippers before offering Namaz at a mosque in Shastripuram. He condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with the victims’ families.
In the national Capital, AIMIM’s Delhi state president Dr Shoaib Jamai also led a peaceful protest during the Friday prayers.
“What happened in Pahalgam is extremely unfortunate for the country, and curse be upon the terrorists who carried out this heinous act,” Jamaai said, wearing a black band in protest.
In Bhopal, worshippers arrived at local mosques wearing black bands. “We will offer prayers while wearing black bands in protest against the Pahalgam attack,” said a youth from the community.
Another added, “If the government cannot punish a ruthless country like Pakistan, then open the borders, we, Hindus and Muslims together, will teach such a nation a lesson. We don’t even want to utter its name.”
In Varanasi, thousands gathered at the Jama Masjid in Nadesar, where prayers were offered for the souls of those who lost their lives in the attack. Similarly, in Lucknow, protests were held at the Asifi Masjid in the historic Imambara, where worshippers raised slogans against terrorism and Pakistan.
Worshippers across all these cities also prayed for peace and harmony in the country. “We prayed for the souls of those killed in Kashmir and for peace to prevail in our nation,” said one of the attendees.
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