New Delhi: Former bureaucrat and president of Zakat Foundation of India Dr. Zafar Mahmood on Sunday demanded from the government to put on hold all election procedures in the riot-hit Muzaffanagar district till Muslims are back home.
"Hundreds of Muslims of Muzaffarnagar district are still living in relief camps. There should not be any elections in the district till the affected Muslims are back home and start living without fear", he said while addressing a national seminar of Muslim scholars, teachers, Imams and Mouazzins held at Islamic Cultural Centre in New Delhi.
Dr. Zafar Mahmood also demanded from the government to deploy military in the riot-hit district till the complete normalisation of the situation.
"There still prevails fear in the district. The military should remain present in area till there is total peace and complete normalisation of the situation", Dr. Zafar Mahmood, who was OSD in the PMO, said.
The demands were immidiately endorsed by a huge number of people who had gathered from different parts of the country.
He also said that the recently passed Waqf Amendment Bill lacks in important recommendations made by Sachar Committee report and Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf reforms. He said the government should include these recommendations through "Waqf Rules" and "special departmental advisories".
He also demanded immediate appointment of delimitation commission so that the constituencies where Muslims are in a majority, but are under reserved category, come under open category.
"The representation of Muslims in the parliament and state assemblies is far less than their population. One of the many reasons for this is that many constituencies where Muslims are in a majority are reserved for SCs and STs. We demand appointment of a delimitation commission so that these constituencies are converted into open categories", he said.
During the seminar, Dr. Zafar Mahmood also released the 20-point demand that he said the UPA government should fulfil before the general elections. Among other things the demands include transfer of cases of Muslims arrested in false terror cases in fast track courts and adequate compensation to them.
The demands also include 67% reservation for Muslims in the total quota of minorities based on the population of Muslims which stand at 73%.
Also included in the 20-point demands are an increase in the budget allocation for Muslims in the prime minister's 15-point program from the existing 15% to 19%, funds allocation for Muslims in all government schemes meant for skill and human resource development, establishment of Indian Waqf Services for the safety of Waqf properties, action on former prime minister Indira Gandhi's directives about the Waqf properties encroached over by the government institutions, a mechanism to make Madrasa degrees acceptable to national and other universities and formation of equal opportunity commission.
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