Ayodhya issue: Shia Waqf Board offers to give up land

Uttar Pradesh Shia Waqf Board yesterday proposed relinquishing its right over the disputed land in Ayodhya, and building a 'masjid-e-aman' in Lucknow to resolve the Ram janmabhoomi-Babri masjid tangle

Uttar Pradesh Shia Waqf Board yesterday proposed relinquishing its right over the disputed land in Ayodhya, and building a 'masjid-e-aman' in Lucknow to resolve the Ram janmabhoomi-Babri masjid tangle, a move rejected by the Muslim protagonists involved in the protracted legal fued. The board, which is the 'mutawalli' (caretaker) of the Babri Mosque, has proposed giving up its right over the land in Ayodhya, and a draft for resolving the issue, prepared by the Shia Waqf Board, has been submitted in the Supreme Court on November 18, its chairman Wasim Rizvi told reporters here.

The Board is of the view that instead of Ayodhya, a 'masjid-e-aman' must be constructed in Lucknow's Hussainabad

Claiming that the formula for resolving the matter proposed by the Shia Waqf Board was the best, Rizvi said it is of the view that instead of Ayodhya, a 'masjid-e-aman' (the mosque of peace) be constructed in Lucknow's Hussainabad area. The Board, he said, has requested the government to provide a one acre plot for it. The proposal, however, did not go down well with the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB).

"On whose behalf has he brought this draft proposal? He (Rizvi) does not enjoy the confidence or recognition of either the Sunni sect or the Shia sect," AIMPLB counsel in the case and its senior member Zafaryab Jilani said. Rizvi rejected the claim of UP Sunni Central Waqf Board over the disputed site, saying that the Allahabd High court had given the land to Muslims and not to Sunni Waqf Board.

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