Govt. tactically skipped Waqf Bill debate to appease BJP: Hakeem Yaseem

• Slams CM Omar for ‘Silent Surrender’ on Waqf Bill
• Court Petition No Cover for Assembly Silence

SRINAGAR: Hakeem Muhammad Yaseen, President of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) and former minister, on Wednesday said that the ruling party deliberately skipped the discussion on the controversial Waqf Amendment Bill in assembly to please BJP.

In a statement issued here, Hakeem Yaseen welcomed the move by some national political parties and Srinagar MP Syed Aga Ruhullah, who individually approached the court by filing writ petitions against the bill. But he said this principled stand only exposed the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference’s (JKNC)’s duplicity and dangerous silence in the Assembly.

“By avoiding the debate, the NC has openly surrendered before the BJP. Their silence wasn’t accidental, it was a calculated move to appease the ruling party. At a time when the people of Jammu and Kashmir expected them to resist, they chose compromise,” Hakeem said. “This isn’t the first time, they have mastered the art of silence over the last 70 years. And now, yet again, they've stabbed public sentiment in the back.”

He said the NC’s decision not to confront the bill in the legislature was nothing short of a political sell-out.  “They had the numbers, the mandate, and the responsibility—but lacked the spine. Instead of confronting the bill head-on, they watched in silence as a vital institution linked to our religious and cultural identity was undermined.”

Taking direct aim at Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Hakeem accused him of playing the role of a "mute spectator" when the people needed leadership the most. He remained conspicuously silent on all major forums. Neither protested nor defended the people’s interests. This silence speaks volumes, it was deliberate and complicit.

The senior PDF leader also ridiculed the NC’s newfound willingness to approach the courts.  “Now, under public pressure, they are talking about filing writ petitions. This is damage control—an attempt to cover up their shameful conduct in the Assembly. But the people are not fools. They see through this eyewash.”

Hakeem Yaseen demanded a public apology from the National Conference leadership, saying they had deceived the faith of the people who had reposed full trust in them by giving them a clear mandate.  “What happened in the Assembly wasn’t a lapse—it was collusion. And history will remember it as yet another chapter in the NC’s long record of compromises.”