Viral claim that the area of properties under Waqf boards in India is more than the total area of Pakistan is false
A post going viral on social media claims that the total area of properties owned by the Waqf Boards in India is larger than the land area of Pakistan (here, here, here, and here). The post states, “The area of Pakistan is 8.81 lakh square km, while the area of Waqf Board properties is 9.40 lakh square km. One Pakistan was created outside, one was created inside. Keep sleeping; this is the amazing work of Congress.” Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: The total area of Waqf Board properties in India is 9.40 lakh sq km, which is significantly larger than Pakistan’s total area of 8.81 lakh sq km.
Fact: As per official data released by the government, the total land owned by Waqf Boards in India is 9.4 lakh acres, not 9.40 lakh sq km as mentioned in the viral claim. 9.4 lakh acres is approximately 3,804 sq km. The exact figure for Pakistan’s total land area is not definitive, as Pakistan claims part of Indian territory. However, it is clear that the total land area of Pakistan is significantly larger than the total land owned by Waqf in India, which is around 3,804 square kilometres. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We conducted a relevant keyword search on Google to gather details about Waqf properties in India. This search led us to an explainer of the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 (archived link), available on the official website of the Press Information Bureau (PIB), dated 13 September 2024. The explainer, in FAQ section 6, mentions that “Waqf Boards currently control 8.7 lakh properties spanning 9.4 lakh acres across India, with an estimated value of 1.2 lakh crores. India has the largest Waqf holdings in the world. Furthermore, the Waqf Board is the largest landowner in India after the Armed Forces and the Indian Railways.”
We also found news reports stating that Waqf Boards control 8.7 lakh properties spanning 9.4 lakh acres across India. From this information, it is clear that the total land owned by Waqf in India is 9.4 lakh acres, not 9.40 lakh sq km, as mentioned in the viral claim.
We then converted 9.4 lakh acres into square kilometres and found that the 9.4 lakh acre property is approximately equal to 3,804 square kilometres.
To determine the total land area owned by Pakistan, we conducted a relevant keyword search on Google. We found that, according to the official website of the Consulate General of Pakistan in Los Angeles, the total land area of Pakistan is around 8,81,913 square kilometres. According to the official website Pakistan Embassy in Sweden, the total land area of Pakistan is around 7,96,095 square kilometres. The exact figure for Pakistan’s total land area is not accurate, as Pakistan claims part of Indian territory. However, it is clear that the total land area of Pakistan is significantly larger than the total land owned by Waqf in India, which is around 3,804 square kilometres.
On 08 August 2024, two bills, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Mussalman Waqf (Repeal) Bill, 2024, were introduced in the Lok Sabha with the aim of streamlining the Waqf Board’s operations and ensuring the efficient management of Waqf properties. After an intense debate, the House referred the bills to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). A 31-member JPC was set up, with Jagdambika Pal, a senior BJP Lok Sabha member, appointed as the chairman of the JPC, which will examine the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. According to reports, the JPC plans to present its report on the bill to the House by the end of the first week of the Winter Session of Parliament, which runs from 25 November 2024 to 20 December 2024. Notably, the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024, has held 25 meetings since its first session on 22 August 2024. Reports also state that the JPC was scheduled to conduct a study tour from 09 November 2024 to 14 November 2024 in five cities—Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Patna, and Lucknow—to examine the bill. However, the tour has been postponed due to demands from opposition MPs (here).
To sum up, the total land owned by Waqf in India is 9.4 lakh acres, which is around 3,804 square kilometres. The viral claim that the area under Waqf boards in India exceeds the total area of Pakistan is false.