Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], March 24 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday stated that targeting a single community would only escalate tensions.

Speaking to the media regarding protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Abdullah explained that the charitable activities of the Muslim community are carried out through the Waqf Board.

'There is no religion that does not do charitable activities. The charitable activities of the Muslim community happen through Waqf... Only one community is being targeted. It is obvious there would be tensions surrounding it,' Abdullah said.

A day earlier, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) announced a nationwide agitation against the proposed Waqf Amendment Bill.

A statement issued by Mohd Vaquar Uddin Latifi, Office Secretary of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), said, 'Following a massive and successful protest in Delhi on March 17, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has announced a nationwide agitation against the proposed Waqf Amendment Bill.

SQR Ilyas, spokesperson of AIMPLB and Convener of the Action Committee Against the Waqf Bill, expressed gratitude on behalf of the Board to all Muslim organizations, civil society groups, and leaders from Dalit, Adivasi, OBC, and other minority communities.

'Without the grace of Allah and the united support of these groups, the success of the Delhi demonstration would not have been possible,' he said. He also extended thanks to the opposition parties and Members of Parliament who not only participated in large numbers but also firmly rejected the proposed legislation.

The statement stated that the AIMPLB's 31-member Action Committee has resolved to adopt all constitutional, legal, and democratic means to 'oppose' what it has termed a 'controversial, discriminatory, and damaging' bill. 'As part of the first phase of the agitation, large protest sit-ins have been planned in front of the state assemblies in Patna on March 26 and Vijayawada on March 29.'

Public conferences, seminars, symposiums, and dharnas will be organized at the district level, and memorandums will be submitted to the President of India through District Magistrates, the statement added.

However, reacting to the protests, Waqf JPC Chairman and BJP MP Jaagdambika Pal on Monday said that they are trying to create 'instability' in the nation.

'Whether it is Imran Masood or AIMPLB, they are trying to misguide the minorities. They are trying to create instability in the nation through their protests... We had called AIMPLB in front of the Waqf JPC. We recorded and incorporated their views... What is the AIMPLB protesting against when the government has not even brought the amended bill yet?' the Waqf JPC Chairman told ANI.

'The law has not even been made yet, so why are they warning for a nationwide protest? ... Imran Masoon was a member of the JPC, and he took part in the clause-by-clause voting process. He knows that a better act is on its way... The new law will benefit the poor and remove those who benefitted themselves, yet they are protesting to spread anarchy,' Pal added.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aims to address these challenges by introducing reforms such as digitization, enhanced audits, improved transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties. (ANI)