Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s unannounced visit to New Kashmir Press and upholding integrity in Waqf affairs
Muhammad Yousuf Gilkar
In a notable incident during his tenure as head of the Awqaf-e-Islamia Jammu Kashmir / All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Waqf Trust, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah took a strong stand for financial accountability and transparency regarding Waqf properties.
The incident took place at New Kashmir Press, a Waqf-owned establishment at Budshah Chowk, where most of the valley's Urdu dailies and weeklies were printed.
During his surprise visit to the press in 1974, Sheikh Abdullah requested a list of debtors from the press manager, Sheikh Abdul Majeed.
Upon reviewing the list, it was found that almost all outstanding payments had been recovered except for the daily newspaper Hamdard, owned and edited by Ghulam Rasool Arif. Despite multiple recovery notices, Arif had failed...