Jammu and Kashmir saw a row over mosque sermons earlier this month , when J&K Wakf Board chairperson Dr Darakshan Andrabi, in an online meeting of the imams of the Union Territory, informed them that they would have to deliver a uniform Friday sermon prepared by Wakf Board imams.

After pushback from the valley’s political leaders, Andrabi said nobody would be forced to deliver a prepared sermon.

Established in the 1930s by the Muslim Conference, the Muslim Auqaf Trust served as the custodian of Muslim religious properties in Jammu and Kashmir, including shrines and a large number of mosques. Its mandate was to manage, regulate and develop these religious institutions, while promoting the social and educational upliftment of Muslims.

For much of its existence, however, the Trust remained under the control and influence of the National Conference.…