ISLAMABAD: India’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Friday expressed dismay over what she described as the “latest blow” against Muslims, following the discovery that thousands of "waqf" properties are missing from the government's newly-launched UMEED portal.
A "waqf" property is an endowment made by a Muslim for charitable or religious purposes, such as to build mosques, schools, or hospitals. It cannot be sold, gifted, or inherited.
The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs had launched the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995 (UMEED) Central Portal on June 6, according to an Indian media report.
The portal allows real-time uploading, verification, and monitoring of Waqf properties, with a six-month completion window that ended on Dec. 6.
Taking to X, the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir said the missing entries raised serious questions about the transparency and protection of waqf assets.
Over 355,000 properties ‘missing’
“Over 3.55 lakh [0.355 million] Waqf properties are missing nationwide, with J&K [Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir] alone losing 7,240 entries in the new UMEED database. With a pattern of violence, demolitions, and disenfranchisement, the erosion of Waqf land feels like the latest blow against the Muslims. Where does this end?” she asked.
Mufti uploaded a document highlighting the differences in registered waqf properties over a one-year period, from December 2024 to December 2025.
Drop in Waqf properties
The data reveals that Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir had 32,533 registered properties on December 9, 2024, which dropped to 25,293 by December 7 this year.
Uttar Pradesh recorded the largest decrease, with Sunni Waqf properties falling from 217,161 to 86,345 during the same period.
The All India Muslim Waqf Board has requested an extension from the government to register properties on the UMEED portal, according to the report.
Controversial new act
The new Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, which came into force in April 2025 after heated debates in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, faced opposition from several parties and Muslim bodies.
In September, the Supreme Court declined to suspend the act entirely but put on hold certain provisions, including empowering district collectors to determine property ownership and restricting the creation of waqf deeds to lawful Muslim property owners of at least five years’ standing, pending further judicial scrutiny.
The PDP chief’s concerns underscore rising anxiety over the management and safeguarding of waqf properties in India.
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