Chairman of the Merkazi Ulema Council of Pakistan, Sahibzada Maulana Zahid Mahmood Qasmi, has expressed serious concern over reports regarding measures against the religious identity, historical heritage and religious properties of Muslims in India. He called upon the international community, the United Nations and human rights organizations to play an effective role in protecting the religious and fundamental rights of Indian Muslims.
Speaking to delegations of religious scholars following his return from a visit to the United Kingdom, Maulana Zahid Mahmood Qasmi said that an investigative report by the Kashmir Media Service has raised several serious concerns regarding Muslim religious and historical heritage in India. According to the report, Muslim religious properties including mosques, shrines, seminaries, dargahs, Eid grounds and graveyards are being affected through the Waqf Amendment Act 2025, encroachment laws and other administrative and legal measures.
He stated that during the past three years, the BJP government has demolished 860 mosques, shrines, seminaries and Eid grounds, including 60 mosques, 563 shrines, 226 seminaries and 6 Eid grounds. The Chairman of the Merkazi Ulema Council of Pakistan further stated that on 5 September 2026, an approximately 120-year-old mosque in Saharanpur was demolished. He said that mosques, seminaries, shrines and Eid grounds have also been targeted in Uttar Pradesh and other Indian states.
Religious organizations in India have also expressed concerns over the Waqf Amendment Law and measures relating to religious properties, while opposition political parties in India have likewise raised concerns over certain demolition operations.
The Merkazi Ulema Council of Pakistan calls upon the international community to conduct a transparent and impartial review of actions against Muslim religious sites and Waqf properties in India. It further demands that the protection of all religious places be ensured and that demolished or damaged religious sites be restored to their original condition.
Before the demolition of any religious site, all legal requirements and judicial orders must be respected and the affected parties must be provided with an effective right to a hearing. Religious freedom and the fundamental rights of minorities must be protected. Effective participation of representatives of the Muslim community must be ensured in legislative and policy measures concerning Waqf properties.
The MerkaziUlema Council has also called upon the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan to immediately constitute a representative delegation to brief the international community about the current situation and what it describes as attempts to undermine Muslim identity in India. The delegation should also apprise the international community of what the Council describes as the cruel, unlawful, unethical and inhumane actions of the Modi government.
