India Rebukes Pakistan for Remarks on Waqf Bill, Cites Poor Minority Rights Record

India on Tuesday strongly refuted Pakistan's comments regarding the Waqf (Amendment) Bill as "motivated and baseless," while pointing to Pakistan's abysmal record on protecting minority rights.

We firmly deplore the motivated and unfounded remarks by Pakistan on the Waqf Amendment Act passed by the Parliament of India. Pakistan has no locus standi to comment on something that is internal to India," said Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), while replying to media questions on Islamabad's criticism of the Bill.

He also said, "Pakistan would do well to examine its own disastrous record on defending the rights of minorities, rather than lecturing others."

The newly enacted Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development Act, 2025 — a.k.a. the UMEED Act — has been labelled as a legislative landmark, representing an important paradigm shift in the management and utilization of Waqf immovable properties for public benefit, tracing from over a hundred years of Waqf-related jurisprudential developments between 1913 and 2025.

In a social media post recently, the Ministry of Minority Affairs stated, "The evolution of Waqf laws in India between 1913 and 2025 reflects a strong initiative to safeguard and manage Waqf properties for the welfare of society along with an effective administration system. Every law tried to fix issues in operation at that time and maintained the core objective of #Waqf endowments."

The Indian government insists that the 2025 amendments are meant to increase accountability, inclusivity, and transparency in the Waqf property management process.

In the face of concerns raised in some circles, some political leaders have come out to explain the bill's purpose. They promised that the Muslim community will continue to lead Waqf committees and that the law has no communal agenda.

"Waqf Amendment Bill is in the interest of Muslims. It will help the poor among them and provide them an opportunity to improve themselves afresh," said BJP national spokesperson and former Union Minister, Syed Shahnawaz Hussain.

Comparing it with the Citizenship Amendment Act controversy, Hussain blamed Pakistan for trying to spread misinformation. "Don't believe propaganda. PM Narendra Modi is working with the motto of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas," he stated.