Need to reposition J&K as destination for value tourism, not volume: Omar

Want Supreme Court to adjudicate: Omar questions Waqf Act's secular credentials

15/04/2025

NEW DELHI, Apr 14: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday questioned the secular credentials of the Waqf Act and argued that the Act targets one religion, contradicting India's secular principles.
He emphasised the importance of equal treatment for all religions and awaited the Supreme Court's adjudication.
CM Omar also said that the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) has filed a petition in the Supreme Court to challenge the Waqf Act.
"My party has already filed a petition in front of the Supreme Court. Now leave it to the judges. We are among a number of organisations that have approached the Supreme Court to look at this. Let them take a look at it. We believe that this piece of legislation has targeted one particular religion. We are supposed to be a secular state. All religions are supposed to be treated equally. We believe that we have a right to be treated equally. We want the Supreme Court to adjudicate on this. Now we will wait...," he told reporters, explaining the position of the ruling party on the Waqf Act.
According to JKNC, the writ petition was filed on April 11 on the "directions" of Party President Farooq Abdullah and in the "interest of the minorities of India."
The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, came into force on April 8 (Tuesday). After a 12-hour discussion, the Upper House cleared the bill with 128 members voting in favour, whereas 95 members voted against the legislation.
The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, was passed by Parliament and has received the President's assent. The Act amends the Waqf Act, 1995, allowing the government to regulate Waqf properties and settle related disputes. It aims to improve Waqf board efficiency, update Waqf definitions, streamline registration, and boost the use of technology in record management.
Meanwhile, other organizations have also approached the Supreme Court, raising similar concerns about the Act's implications.
The opposition is criticising the implementation of the act, and several petitions filed in the Supreme Court have challenged it.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi, Congress MPs Mohammad Jawed and Imran Pratapgarhi, AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan, MP and President of the Azad Samaj Party Chandra Shekhar Azad, Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal Zia Ur Rehman Barq, President of the Islamic cleric's body Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind Maulana Arshad Madani, Kerala Sunni scholars' body Samastha Kerala Jamiatul Ulema, Social Democratic Party of India, Indian Union Muslim League, and NGO Association for Protection of Civil Rights have already approached the top court against the Act.
Omar also said J&K has again “turned the corner” to become a pre-eminent destination, even as he pitched for choosing the path of “value-based tourism” instead of chasing volumes.
Addressing an event here, the National Conference leader also flagged the high air fares for Srinagar-bound domestic flights, especially if booked a day or two before travel, saying he hoped the new Vande Bharat train connecting Jammu with Srinagar, which is expected to be flagged off soon by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will bring some relief for the travelers.
The event — ICC Aviation & Tourism Conference 2025 — was hosted by the Indian Chamber of Commerce.
Abdullah said the beauty of Jammu and Kashmir has beckoned tourists for a long period of time, even before the Valley came under the shadow of terror and violence.
“Tourism is something that Jammu and Kashmir is famous for. Long before we became famous for the troubles, we were famous for the beauty of Jammu and Kashmir, and for the tourism of Jammu and Kashmir. And this beauty is not something that is talked about in recent times,” Abdullah said.
He illustrated his point by citing a famous couplet inscribed on a wall of the Red Fort that describes Kashmir as a “heaven on earth”.
“These words were written centuries ago. From then to now, Jammu and Kashmir has attracted attention largely for good, but in recent years, somewhat for the bad as well,” the chief minister said.
“But, I can safely say that we have turned the corner, and Jammu and Kashmir today has once again become a pre-eminent destination for tourism in the country, increasingly for overseas tourists as well,” he said.
In his address, Abdullah also pitched for Jammu and Kashmir tourism to choose value over volume, and urged all the stakeholders to endeavour to work towards ensuring that tourists feel like coming back to J-K after returning from there.
“It is my firm belief that Jammu and Kashmir now needs to reposition itself in terms of the tourist destination it wants to be… Today, I am increasingly of the view that we need to reposition Jammu and Kashmir, not as a destination for volume tourism, but as a destination for value tourism. We need to go up the value chain,” the chief minister said.
When Jammu and Kashmir was struggling with the aftereffects of violent attacks and terror, “for us, tourism was a visible sign of a move towards normalcy”, he said.
Increase in the number of tourists added to its economic activity, and also “gave us a sense that perhaps better days were ahead of us”, Abdullah said.
“And, therefore, we chased volumes, we went out and tried to get as many tourists as possible to visit Jammu and Kashmir, because the more the tourists, the more impact, and therefore it was a win-win for all of us,” the chief minister added.
Emphasising the importance of “value-based tourism”, he said, “We have in mind nine new destinations that we hope to get funded through multilateral agency funding, which we hope will ease some of the pressure on Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonmarg in the Valley, and also open up areas of Jammu hitherto undiscovered for tourism”.
Until the new destinations come up, the Valley that one sees today is pretty much “saturated”, Abdullah said citing instances of urban congestion that one tourism season kicks in in the Valley.
“The moment the Tulip Garden is opened, Srinagar, to all intents and purposes, grinds to a halt. A journey that in winter will take about 15 minutes, in April-May can take anything up to 2.5-3 hours, simply because of the volume of tourists,” he said.

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