Social Media Post Falsely Claims Waqf Board Owns More Land than Pakistan’s Total Land Area

The Waqf (Amendment) 2024 has sparked a debate about the Waqf Board in the country. Social media platforms are also witnessing these discussions, with one side defending the amendment and the other opposing it, claiming it would harm the Waqf Board. Amidst these debates, a viral Facebook post claims that the Waqf Board owns 9.40 lakh square kilometers of land—an area larger than Pakistan.

View the original post here – Facebook | Archived

The post above states, “The area of Pakistan is 8.81 lakh square kilometers. And the area of the Waqf Board is 9.40 lakh square kilometers. One Pakistan was created outside, one was created inside. Keep sleeping; this is the amazing work of Congress.” Thus, the post claims that the Waqf Board, which governs properties designated as Waqf—a type of charitable endowment in Islam—owns more land area than Pakistan. The post also blames the Congress party for this situation.

But how true are the claims made in the post? Let’s find out.

Fact Check

Before we determine the accuracy of the claims made in the post, let’s understand what a Waqf is and review the existing laws governing Waqf properties in India.

A Waqf is a religious endowment in Islamic law, where a property is donated for charitable or religious purposes, such as building mosques, schools, hospitals, or other community services. The property is intended to serve public welfare while remaining under the Waqf Board’s ownership in perpetuity, meaning it cannot be sold, inherited, or otherwise disposed of.

In India, the Central Waqf Council and state-level Waqf Boards are responsible for managing and maintaining these waqf properties, which can include large tracts of land, buildings, and other assets. These boards ensure that the properties are used as intended and monitor their compliance with legal standards.

With this context in mind, let’s examine the claim made in the viral Facebook post. According to the Consulate General’s website for Pakistan in US, the land area of Pakistan is 881,913 square kilometres, approximately 27% of India’s total land area. Therefore, if the Waqf Board truly owned more land than Pakistan, over 27% of India’s land area would be designated as Waqf property.

As per an explainer on Waqf board by  Press Information Bureau (PIB), the total area under the control of Waqf boards in India is 9.4 lakh acres. When converted into square kilometers, this amounts to 3,804 square kilometers, which is significantly less than what is claimed in the viral post.

Archived Link

The details of Waqf properties can be found on the website of Waqf Assets Management System of India – WAMSI’s website. WAMSI comes under the ministry of Minority Affairs and provides details about the movable and immovable properties governed by the Waqf boards. 

Reports from The Hindu and The Economic Times state that the Waqf Board in India controls 9.4 lakh acres of land, equivalent to 3,804 square kilometers. Thus, the area under the Waqf Board in India is not 9.4 lakh square kilometers, as claimed in the viral post.

Currently, the Waqf Board is the third-largest landowner in India. The largest landowner is the Indian Government, which owns 15,531 square kilometers of land, followed by the Catholic Church as the second-largest landowner in the country.

Conclusion

Contrary to the claims made in the viral post, the Waqf Board does not own more land than Pakistan’s total area. The Waqf Board is the third-largest landowner in the country, after the Government of India and the Catholic Church, owning 3,804 square kilometres.