Sunni Waqf Board is puppet in hands of India's enemies: Shia board chief

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 22 (ANI): The Sunni Waqf Board is a puppet in the hands of India's enemies, Wasim Rizvi, Shia Waqf Board chairman, said on Wednesday.

He made this comment while alleging that the Sunni Waqf Board was getting foreign funding to keep the Ramjanambhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute alive.

Talking to ANI, Rizvi demanded a probe into the funding of Sunni Waqf Board.

"The Sunni Waqf Board fought this case from the High Court to the Supreme Court. Will the Sunni Waqf Board show how much fees did it give to lawyers? When the Shia and Sunni Waqf Boards don't have money to distribute salaries, where did money come from to engage prominent lawyers? Who is funding you? The Sunni Waqf Board is only a puppet and can't even sign a paper without green signal from their foreign bosses," Rizvi said.

He further said that many skeletons would fall from the closet if the Centre and the UP Government conducted a probe into the funding of the Shia Waqf Board.

He further asked if anybody knew how much money was collected in the name of Babri Masjid.

"If money is coming from foreign countries then why is it coming? The money which is coming is from enemy countries like Pakistan," Rizvi asserted.

The Shia Central Waqf Board has released a draft on the resolution of the Ayodhya dispute, in which it argued that Ram Mandir be built at the disputed property while a mosque should come up in Lucknow. The draft has also been submitted in the Supreme Court.

"We have submitted a draft in front of the Supreme Court, not the Sunni Waqf Board or the Muslim Personal Law Board. These people are trying to ruin the nation's atmosphere. The country's largest court is advising you (Sunni Waqf Board) to sit and discuss, but you are ignoring it too. What do you want? How many more people you would get killed? More than 2,000 people have been killed and more than 74 communal riots have taken place," Rizvi said.

He reiterated that those who were opposing the amicable solution to the Ramjanambhoomi-Babri Masjid problem were actually hell bent upon orchestrating riots and they were betrayer of the country and were hand in glove with India's enemies.

Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute was a century-old point of tussle between the Hindus and the Muslims.

The mosque was demolished by Hindu Karsevaks on December 6, 1992 in Ayodhya. The country witnessed massive riots in which over 2000 people were killed.

The Hindus claim that it is the birthplace of Lord Rama where a mosque was built in 1528-29 CE (935 AH) by Mir Baqi. Since the mosque was built on orders of the Mughal emperor Babur, it was named Babri Masjid.

It is notable that the Supreme Court will hear the 13 appeals in the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute on December 5, 2017, the eve of the 25th anniversary of the demolition of the 15th century mosque. (ANI)