J-K Assembly Adjourned Amid Waqf Act Uproar

J-K assembly adjourned for the day amid uproar over Waqf bill

Jammu: Chaos erupted in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Wednesday as opposition BJP legislators stormed the Well of the House, while ruling National Conference (NC) members demanded a discussion on the controversial Waqf Act.

As a result, Speaker Abdul Rahim Lather adjourned the House for three hours.

Waqf Act Sparks Protests

The uproar stemmed from Speaker Lather’s repeated refusal to allow a discussion on the Waqf Act, citing it as sub-judice. This marked the third consecutive day of disruption since the House resumed on Monday after a 12-day recess.

On Monday and Tuesday, full-day adjournments were called after adjournment motions by NC legislators were rejected.

BJP Pushes Unemployment Agenda

While the NC demanded debate on the Waqf issue, BJP’s Balwant Singh Mankotia submitted a motion to discuss rising unemployment. However, the Speaker dismissed the motion, stating that the issue was not recent.

As proceedings began, BJP’s Sunil Bhardwaj attempted to ask his question, but was drowned out by loud slogans from both treasury and opposition benches.

Gurezi Blasts BJP, Calls for Discussion

NC legislator Nazir Ahmad Khan Gurezi urged the Speaker to exercise discretionary powers and allow a half-hour discussion to resolve the deadlock.

“This Waqf Amendment Act is an injustice to Muslims,” Gurezi asserted. “The BJP is turning this into a Hindu-Muslim issue while pretending to care about unemployment.”

He further accused the BJP of failing to create jobs during their decade-long rule and criticized their role in revoking Article 370 in 2019. “They’ve taken away people’s land, rights, and jobs,” he added.

Sit-In by BJP, Assembly Adjourned

As tensions escalated, Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma led BJP members into the Well of the House. They staged a brief sit-in protest, prompting the Speaker to adjourn the session until 1 PM.

Talks Fail to Resolve Deadlock

Earlier in the day, NC legislators and their alliance partners held a meeting in the Assembly complex in a bid to break the impasse. However, like a similar meeting on Tuesday evening, it ended without a resolution.

Wednesday marks the final day of the budget session, which began on March 3.

Also Read:PM Shehbaz: Trillion-dollar minerals can free Pakistan from IMF