The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Sunday called on the Indian government to reconsider the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, recently passed by the Indian Parliament, saying that the move could undermine religious harmony in the region.
BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed made the call at a press conference at the party chairperson鈥檚 office in the capital鈥檚 Gulshan area.
He said that the bill attempted to curtail the rights of Indian Muslim minority people.
鈥榃e are making this appeal to maintain religious harmony in this region. Because, if any situation in India disrupts religious harmony there, the impact will also be felt in Bangladesh,鈥� the BNP leader said.
He said that the inclusion of non-Muslim members in the board of directors in the amendment bill might violate the constitutional rights of Muslims in India.
鈥榃e believe that it is not appropriate to take any such step at the state level as it may interfere with the religious rights of Muslims, which could ultimately destroy religious harmony,鈥� Salahuddin said.
He said that the BNP鈥檚 disagreement with the law was aimed at preserving regional religious harmony, as its impact would reach Bangladesh territory.
Waqf is an ancient Islamic system of endowment, where an individual permanently donates property, usually land, for religious or charitable purposes. Such waqf property cannot be sold or transferred to anyone else.
Salahuddin said that the amendment bill granted non-Muslim members the authority to manage and administer these properties, which he claimed amounted to direct interference with the religious rights of Muslim citizens.
He mentioned that there was huge scope for misuse of the law as it contradicted the religious traditions, rights, culture and interests of approximately 20 crore Muslims in India.
He said that it could lead to a severely damaging impact on the functioning of Islamic religious institutions.
In India, people of other religions are not included in such bodies of different religions and, therefore, this law will be considered discriminatory, the BNP leader mentioned.
Salahuddin claimed that the All India Muslim Personal Law Board described the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, as being against the core spirit of the Islamic Waqf system.
He hoped that the Indian government would reconsider the bill and would uphold the state鈥檚 role as a guardian in protecting the religious rights of citizens of all religions in the large democratic nation.
鈥榃e believe that reconsidering the bill will play a historic role in maintaining regional religious harmony,鈥� Salahuddin added.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Labour Party on Sunday at a protest rally in Dhaka alleged that the Waqf Amendment Bill-2025 would cripple the rights of Muslims in India and called on the Indian government to withdraw the bill.
Party chairman Mostafizur Rahman Iran, vice chairman Johora Khatun, secretary general Khandaker Mirajul Islam, and Dhaka City unit president SM Yusuf Ali, among others, spoke at the rally organised by the Dhaka City unit of the Party in front of National Press Club in the city.
Leaders of the Islami Andolan Bangladesh in a press statement also condemned passing such a controversial bill by the Indian government.
The ameer of the party Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim called on the Indian government to withdraw the bill to ensure the rights of the Muslims in India.
