The Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board, which oversees Muslim religious endowments, said the standardised sermons are intended to address social issues including drug abuse. Andrabi told an Indian newspaper that a committee formed under the board's auspices would approve the sermons with no role for government officials.
However, critics say the move is an attempt by the central government to exert control over religious spaces in the restive region. India stripped Kashmir of its semi-autonomous status in 2019 and partitioned it into two federally governed territories. Local elections were held in 2024, but de facto authority remains with New Delhi's appointed administrator.
On Sunday, the board summoned around 1,500 scholars and preachers to a meeting, some attending virtually. An anonymous scholar from Rajouri district who attended online told Al Jazeera that Andrabi had instructed them to use only pre-approved sermons drafted by a committee of senior scholars, without specifying its members. "When we objected … she brushed aside our concerns and didn't let us speak," the scholar said. Andrabi said the decision was final after four years of preparation.
The dispute highlights ongoing tensions in Kashmir, where peaceful demands for a referendum on self-determination turned into an armed uprising in 1989. India and Pakistan both claim the region in full.