Srinagar/Jammu: J&K CM Omar Abdullah He on Friday defended an order by Jammu’s Kishtwar local authority to regulate the collection of zakat during Ramadan, a move that drew widespread criticism, including from some of his cabinet colleagues and ally Congress.Addressing the Assembly, Umar urged lawmakers “not to politicize all issues” and clarified that the February 18 order was issued by the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Kishtwar after consulting religious leaders as a security measure to check donation fraud. “We should not mix religion with politics. There are issues that require dialogue and understanding at the local level, not political confrontation,” Omar said.The DC order said it aimed to check “unregulated and unauthorized individual donations” during Ramadan. It warned against collection of donations by “unregistered” individuals or institutions without permission from the Wakf Board or Divisional Magistrate.Omar referred to Thursday’s House debate, when MPs Nizamuddin Bhat and GA Mir raised the issue and condemned the order as an interference in religious matters. “I looked into the matter and found out that the DC government did not issue the order itself,” Omar said.Omar said that at a meeting with religious leaders in Kishtwar before Ramadan, many expressed concerns about the misuse of charitable donations. “They told the district council that genuine charitable organizations were suffering losses because donors were misled by fraudulent groups. The district council issued the order on the advice of these religious leaders,” Umar said, adding that the move was welcomed by Jamia Masjid Imam Kishtwar and other clerics in the area.Many were not convinced. Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary condemned the order, saying such decisions should not be taken at the district level when an elected government is in place. Tanvir Sadiq, spokesman for Omar’s ruling National Conference (NC), also debunked the “localization directive”. “I think it’s an interference in religious matters,” Sadiq said.be opposed to plasma display panel Joining the chorus of condemnation, party MLA Waheed Parra argued that charity is not a security issue and urged a reconsideration of the directive. CPI(M) state secretary MY Tarigami said the order actually “cast suspicion on the entire Muslim community”.The BJP was the only party to welcome the order. Opposition leader in J&K Sunil Sharma alleged that some people collected zakat during Ramadan and used the funds for “anti-national activities”. He called for such measures to be adopted elsewhere to prevent the misuse of philanthropy for subversive purposes.
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