Delhi Waqf Board Imams protest outside CM Kejriwal's residence over 17-month salary delay
New Delhi: Imams associated with the Delhi Waqf Board staged a protest outside the residence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, demanding the release of their pending salaries.
All India Imam Association Chairman Sajid Rashidi expressed disappointment, stating that the imams have not been paid for the past 17 months. Despite repeated meetings with senior government officials, including the Chief Minister and Lieutenant Governor, no action has been taken.
Rashidi warned of an indefinite protest if their grievances were not addressed. “It has been 17 months without salaries. We have highlighted this issue for the last six months, meeting officials at all levels. If our demands are not met, we will continue our protest here until we receive our dues,” he said.
Rashidi added that they had met Delhi Chief Minister Atishi 20 days ago, who assured them that the matter would be resolved within 4-5 days, but no progress has been made.
Imams from various mosques in Delhi echoed similar concerns. Mohammad Ibrahim, an imam from Paharganj, shared that this was their third attempt in a week to meet Arvind Kejriwal. “We are tense as 17 months is a long period. We hope the government takes immediate steps to release our salaries,” he stated.
Another imam, Mohammad Murtaza from Chandni Chowk, remarked, “We have been fulfilling our duties, yet our salaries remain unpaid. Only the Waqf Board knows the reasons for this delay.”
The imams urged the Delhi government to address their plight without further delay.
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Trump says EU has until July 4 to approve last year's trade deal or it will face higher tariffs
Washington (AP): President Donald Trump has said in a social media post that goods from the European Union would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc fails to approve last year's trade framework by July 4.
The announcement on Thursday appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU autos would face a higher 25 per cent tariff starting this week. Trump made the updated announcement after what he described as a "great call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Still, the US president was displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalize the trade arrangement reached last year, which was further complicated in February by the US Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks.
"A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!" Trump posted. "I agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels."
It was unclear from the post whether Trump was implying that the tariff rates would jump on all EU goods or the increase would only apply to autos.
His latest statement indicates he might be backing away from his earlier threat on EU autos by giving the European Parliament several more weeks to approve the agreement.
Under the original terms of the framework, the US would charge a 15 per cent tax on most goods imported from the EU.
But since the Supreme Court ruling, the administration has levied a 10 per cent tariff while investigating trade imbalances and national security issues, aiming to put in new tariffs to make up for lost revenues.
