SRINAGAR: Senior National Conference leader and trusted Advisor to Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Nasir Aslam Wani, made it clear on Monday that his party will not forge any association with the Bharatiya Janata Party. In a firm statement to the media, Wani dismissed all speculation regarding a potential collaboration and reiterated that the two parties hold fundamentally opposing ideologies.
“We are not walking the same path. There’s no shared agenda or mutual ground between the National Conference and the BJP,” Wani said. Responding to a question about political flexibility, he pointedly remarked, “We will not repeat the grave error committed by the PDP. That chapter has already shown us the consequences.”
He also advised the People’s Democratic Party to reflect on its own decisions instead of targeting the NC. “They should look inward. Their time in power speaks volumes about their missteps,” he said.
Turning his attention to the contentious Waqf legislation, Wani lambasted the bill, calling it a direct intrusion into spiritual affairs. “This law is a blatant overreach. We’ve filed a challenge in the Supreme Court like many others. This is a clear injustice,” he stated.
The new Waqf framework has drawn sharp resistance across Jammu and Kashmir. Religious organizations and political voices alike accuse the administration of undermining the Waqf Board’s independence and attempting to assert control over Islamic institutions.
Echoing Wani’s criticism, another key figure in the NC, Chief Spokesperson and sitting legislator Tanvir Sadiq, condemned the move as a calculated assault on the rights of the Muslim community. “This isn’t reform—it’s a disguised takeover targeting only one faith. Why aren’t these rules applied to other communities?” he asked.
Tracing the origins of what he called systematic interference, Sadiq said the transformation of the Waqf Board began under the rule of Mufti Muhammad Sayeed back in 2003. “That’s when political overreach began. Decisions that once belonged to locals are now made by officials with no connection to the faith or the community,” he said.
Sadiq emphasized that Waqf properties, built on voluntary donations and trust, should remain under the stewardship of the Muslim community. “These are not government holdings. They were gifted for community upliftment and must be protected,” he said. “No one outside the faith should decide their fate.”
He further questioned the silence over unregulated temple lands. “Why hasn’t anyone touched over 8 lakh acres belonging to Hindu shrines? If the idea is reform, then it should be fair and across the board. That’s what a secular democracy demands,” he argued.
Responding to BJP leader Sunil Sharma’s recent remarks against NC, Sadiq brushed them off as inconsequential. He accused the BJP of lacking direction both in power and in opposition. “They have no consistent voice—even on the Jal Shakti scandal, their stand kept changing,” he noted.
Sadiq said the real erosion of public trust began with Mufti Sayeed’s alliance with the BJP, first in 2003 and again in 2014. “That partnership caused irreversible harm,” he said.
He also referenced the current standoff in the assembly over the Waqf Bill. “We opposed the bill, and our objections are now a matter of legislative record,” he said. “It’s discriminatory, and we warned them well in advance.”
Sadiq criticized the administration’s claims of peace and stability, highlighting that major congregational prayers at Srinagar’s iconic Jamia Masjid continue to be barred. “If the situation is so normal, why are Friday and Eid prayers still disallowed?” he questioned.
He concluded by saying that NC’s petition to the Supreme Court aims to halt what he termed “a systematic grab of community endowments under flimsy excuses.”
