Saima Bhat
Srinagar
It was a moment of embarrassment in the J&K legislative assembly when Speaker declared that the bill, for the establishment of Transworld Islamic university in the state, is missing and need to be located from both the houses.
Speaker, Mohammad Akbar Lone informed the house on Tuesday that the Bill for the Jamiat-e-Ahlihadith’s university was sent to Joint select committee and so far no further direction was sent back to the house. The information was revealed over a question, asked by a lawmaker Javaid Mustafa Mir, about the present status of the bill which was accepted by the house last year.
The bill was one of the many bills regarding establishment of a number of universities that the assembly passed in the autumn session of 2010. As the bill moved to the state legislative council, it was blocked as Congress state president prof Saif ud Din Soz opposed the idea.
After the council constituted a select committee, the bill was later sent to a joint select committee that the Speaker constituted. But the Joint select committee, incorporated 10 members from the house, was not allowed to work for unknown reasons, the Speaker said. He said the bill lapsed and the committee had informed the house that they will come up with new recommendations till next session of the assembly which will be in accordance to the constitution of India.
However, Jamiat people blame Soz for creating problems in the acceptance of the bill. Soz has been consistently saying that academic institutions, especially University cannot be set up on sectarian basis. And later Sheikh Ghulam Rasool, from NC, also supported Congress in helping the blockage of the bill.
The bill for this right wing Muslim university continues to be hanging fire as the party was out on roads for many times. Other bills regarding the setting up of a Guru Nanak University and another Islamic university by another group have faced the same fate.
