Ganai apptd Chairman of Wakf Board

JAMMU: Almost a week after the Raj Bhavan amended a legislation paving way for filling up the top post of the all powerful Jammu and Kashmir Board for Muslim Specified Wakafs, the Governor Satya Pal Malik on Friday appointed his Advisor Khurshid Ahmad Ganai, as the Chairman of the Board.

The board is the second largest asset-rich organisation after the state government.

Malik made this appointment in his capacity as ex-officio chairperson of the board, which was facilitated by amending the J&K Muslim Waqf Board Act last week.

The said amendment had empowered Governor to become its ex-officio chairperson in times of emergency, provided he is a Muslim.

“In case the Governor is a non-Muslim, he can appoint any “eminent person”, including one of his advisors, as chairman of the Waqf Board,” the amendment had said.

Before this amendment, no state law existed to guide the functioning of the Board under Governor’s rule.

“In pursuance of powers vested in me, under proviso to sub-section (2) of section 6 of the Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Specified Wakafs and Specified Wakaf Properties (Management and Regulation) Act, 2004, I, Satya Pal Malik, Ex-officio Chairman, hereby appoint Khurshid Ahmad Ganai, IAS (Rtd) Advisor to be Chairman of the Board,” the order from Raj Bhavan read.

The notification in this regard was issued by the department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs this evening.

The Waqf Board is usually headed by the chief minister. After the fall of the PDP-BJP government on June 19, the board fell headless while a little over three weeks later, the position of vice-chairperson of the Board who is responsible for overall functioning of the Board was also left vacant after incumbent Nizam-ud-din Bhat resigned from his post.

The Governor’s administration was criticised for not paying heed towards the affairs of board in the absence of a top person managing the board which is responsible for the upkeep of waqf properties and shrines in the state.