Jammu, December 16 (KNS): Prominent Shia cleric of India Sayed Kalbe Jawed Naqvi today said that he informed Lieutenant Governor J&K about deprivation of representation to Shia community in Legislative Assembly factor should be considered in delimitation commission so that 6 to 7 constituencies out of 90 should be reserved out for Shia people.
He said this in a presser in Jammu and was accompanied by Aslam Qureshi retd.IAS, Shameel Shamisi, Sohail Kazmi, Tahir Ali Shah.
A day before he had met LG at Raj Bhawan on Tuesday along with a delegation.“ We brought into notice of LG highly concentrated areas of Shia Muslims in Kashmir have been presently rearranged electorally in fashion that their collective democratic and political strength has been set as having deprived the people from getting representation in legislative Assembly. I made a fervent appeal to LG that the delimitation commission should take this factor in view so that 6 to 7 constituencies out of 90 should be reserved out for Shia people.”
He said they sought lifting of restrictions on Shia procession in Kashmir particularly from Shia locality of Srinagar’s, Abi Guzar to Zadibal on 10th of Muharram .
“There was traditionally a procession taken out from Guru Bazaar area of old Srinagar city to Kathi Darwaza and Hasanabad but for the last 20-years it has not been allowed,” he said.
Kalbe said that LG assured them that as soon as the spread of covid-19 is ‘contained and the situation stabilizes, these restrictions would be removed and Shia people of Kashmir would see that a judicious treatment is afforded to them on the account.’
Regarding the plan of the central government to set up a Shia Wakf Board in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, he said that , “The LG told us that the constitution of Shia board is on the priority list of the central government. We requested him that its vice-chairman and members must be picked up with proper scrutiny and those who are eminent in their spheres must be picked up so that the Waqf board of J&K must look to be a worthwhile exercise providing a great support system to the Shia community.”
The shia cleric also said that they raised the issue of 2 kanals and 5 marlas of land at Karbala Jammu which is “under illegal occupation of Police need to be released at this level so that the aspect is sorted out to the best satisfaction of Shia’s of Jammu.”
We also brought to notice of LG that in Jammu city, “there happens to be only two main graveyards for Muslims. There were only two main graveyards for Muslims which were setup more than 100 years ago during the Dogra rule. With the influx of people from Poonch, Rajouri, Doda, there does not remain any space for burial. We requested the LG administration to sanction another piece of land for the burial ground within the city at suitable site.” (KNS)