Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 3: Tanzeem-Iema –Masjid Wa Ulma-e-Karam Jammu today reiterated their demand regarding hike in pay of Imams of mosques falling under the control of Auqaf.
The Government should fulfill its commitment in this regard made way back in nineties, Qari Tariq Hussain representative of organization told reporters here today.
He said the Imams of mosques falling under Auqaf are paid a paltry salary from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 per month while the Apex Court in its ruling has made it categorical that Imams be paid salary at par with Government teachers.
Qari Tariq said the States of Bihar, Haryana, Delhi Punjab and Karnataka are paying salaries to Imams as per the Apex Court ruling while in J&K they have been deprived of the same and the ruling has not been implemented here.
He made an appeal to Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah to fulfill his commitment in this regard as early as possible as the Imams who remain in mosques from morning till late in the evening are unable to feed themselves on this paltry pay.
He said the demand was also brought in the notice of former Chief Ministers Dr Farooq Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi Azad and Minister of Haj and Auqaf, Peerzada Mohammed Syed and his predecessor Aijaz Khan but to no avail.
He said the announcement of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that Imams in J&K will be paid Rs 10,000 each by Waqaf Board was confined to Kashmir valley as Imams of Jammu were denied the same.
He said when the issue was taken up with the authorities concerned they said there is no Waqaf Board in Jammu as it exists in Kashmir valley only. In place of Waqat Board there is Auqaf Islamia in Jammu hence the same can’t be applied here. This is a total discrimination with Jammu, he added
The press conference was addressed among others by Moulana Shah Mohammed vice president of the Tanzeem and Moulana Mufti Anayatullah Imam Markazi Jamia Masjid Talab Khatinka and patron of the organization.
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