Srinagar: Former actress Zaira Wasim has questioned the Waqf Board’s involvement in Independence Day celebrations in Kashmir, raising concerns over the manner in which children, particularly girls, are being involved in public events.
Taking to X, Zaira, in a long note, questioned whether Waqf Board should be associated with celebrations where children are primarily presented as performers.
“I have a question. Isn’t waqf board a religious body entrusted with serving the Muslim Community, and ideally doing so while upholding Islamic Values?” she wrote.
Zaira Wasim went on to question what she described as the contradiction between the Waqf Board’s religious purpose and its association with an event where children particularly girls were made to perform on stage.
“There is something almost comical about this institution: an organisation built around a religious and communal purpose, yet sitting so comfortably through something you would expect a religious institution to at least question,” she wrote.
“Why is the default way of involving children and particularly girls in public celebrations to make them dance to irrelevant songs?” Zaira asked, adding that institutions should instead encourage children to “think, create, learn, discuss, build or contribute.”
Highlighting Kashmir’s educational and intellectual heritage, she said the region has a remarkable legacy of scholars who viewed education as a means of enlightening minds, cultivating character and imparting knowledge and spirituality.
“What about the intellectual and cultural legacy of wonderful scholars of the past?” she questioned.
Zaira further argued that institutions with a religious purpose have a deeper responsibility towards the spiritual, moral and intellectual development of communities.
“If it’s an institution whose very existence is tied to religious purpose, you are tasked with deeper work of strengthening the communities spiritually, morally, intellectually,” she wrote.
However, Zaira Wasim was careful to clarify that her criticism was not directed at the children participating in the celebrations. According to her, children often simply participate in activities that schools and institutions ask them to take part in.
“To be clear: the point is not the children. Children are often simply made to participate in whatever schools and institutions put before them,” she wrote.
“The question is what an institution chooses to facilitate, endorse and place under its own banner,” she concluded.
Zaira Wasim’s Bollywood journey
Zaira Wasim made her Bollywood debut alongside Aamir Khan in Dangal (2016), playing the role of young Geeta Phogat. Her performance earned her the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress.
She subsequently starred in Secret Superstar (2017) and The Sky Is Pink (2019). In June 2019, Zaira announced her decision to leave the film industry, saying that her acting career was interfering with her faith and religious beliefs.
Since stepping away from acting, she has largely stayed away from the film industry and public appearances.
