Demand shifting of administrator Auqaf Shadra or face agitation
By Shafiq Mir, News Agency of Kashmir
Rajouri: The preachers and imams of various mosques across border district of Rajouri headed by Khateeb of Central Jamia Masjid of Rajouri warned the state government that if administrator Auqaf Shadra Sharief was not shifted within one month’s time they will start an indefinite agitation in the district and the government shall be responsible for all consequences. They also demanded a detailed probe of the financial affairs of the shrine during the past 20 year’s tenure of the present administrator.
Speaking to a gathering comprising of thousands of people on the occasion of Jumma-tul-vida at Eid-Gah ground Rajouri, Mufti Abdul Rouf Khateeb(Head preacher) central Jamia Masjid Rajouri threatened to launch an indefinite agitation in the border district, if the state government didn’t shift present administrator Auqaf Shadra Sharief with in the period of one month.
Alleging large scale misappropriation of shrine funds during the past twenty years of his tenure , Mulana said some officials in state Auqaf department are also getting ‘net cash share’ from the shrine and they have been protectining administrator namely Anayet Hussain Baba for the past twenty years.
“Demanding detailed probe by an honest and impartial team, Mulana Rouf told News Agency of Kashmir that they have collected all details of the misappropriation of funds and will hand over to Chief Minister if he desires so.
He said “for the past more than two decades some officials in state waqf system have been protecting a person against whom the people of the district remained always up in arms because of his tainted affairs. We have identified some officials who get monthly net cash share from this shrine every month and they are protecting this administrator. We warn the government to shift him from the shrine within one month or face the mass agitation” Maulana Abdul Rouf alleges further.
Later speaking to this correspondent, Maulana Rouf said that the decision to launch an agitation against the administrator was taken in a general meeting of all imams and other religious scholars of the district on other day and it was decided to announce it on the last Friday of Ramzan.
“We have served one months time to government if it failed to act we will launch an indefinite agitation in the district and we can go up to any extant for which the state government will be responsible because we have already informed them about our decision”, said Maulana Rouf Ahmed. It is pertinent to mention here that Administrator Auqaf Shadra Sharief shrine namely Anayet Hussain Baba of Bhaderwah has been running the affairs of shrine for the past more than two decades despite large scale criticism by the locals. But for the past some months the voices against him have gained momentum and now the religious groups have added fuel to the fire.
However, when contacted administrator Anayet Hussain Baba termed the Moulvies sheer blackmailers and said that they were demanding cash from the shrine which he refused and they have now started campaign against him. “I am ready to face any enquiry. “One of the Maulana namely Dil Mohammad approached to me two days back with a representation that he needs Rs five thousand cash which I denied and they started campaign against me” said Baba adding that they are ‘blackmailers’ and they look waqaf properties as their parental one . “In fact this has been routine at the shrine to pay the unaccounted cash to these Moulvies before I took over as administrator.
But since I took over the reigns of the shrine I stopped that practice. Now they have launched a campaign against me”, said Anayet Hussain Baba.