Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Mosque in Lucknow: Shia Waqf Board's solution to Babri dispute

In August, the Shia Wakf Board filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court that the Ram temple be built at the disputed site and the mosque be located at a reasonable distance in a Muslim-dominated area.

Reiterating its support to the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the Shia Waqf board on Monday said that the Mosque can be built in Lucknow.

"After discussions with different parties we have prepared a proposal in which a Ram Temple will be built in Ayodhya and a Mosque can be built in Lucknow.This is a solution which will ensure peace and brotherhood in the country," Shia Central Waqf Board chairman Wasim Rizvi told ANI.

Rizvi has in the past drawn flak from several Muslim bodies for his stand over the Ram Temple issue. Rizvi earlier met the Art of Living founder, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Bengaluru and apprised him of the Board's stand that a Ram temple should be built at the site.

The Uttar Pradesh Shia Waqf Board had last month announced that it will gift 10 silver arrows if the 100-metre tall Lord Ram statue is built in Ayodhya.

Since 1989, the Shia Central Waqf Board has been a party to the Ram Janma Bhoomi- Babri Masjid dispute case but so far it had remained "neutral", said reports. Off late, the Board has decided to not only make a claim over the Masjid but also suggest a solution.

In August, the Shia Wakf Board filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court that the Ram temple be built at the disputed site and the mosque be located at a reasonable distance in a Muslim-dominated area.

The Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board (UPSCWB) said, in the affidavit, that only they are entitled to negotiate and arrive at a peaceful settlement with other remaining stakeholders.

The affidavit also states that proximity of place of worships should be avoided as it may result in conflicts and acrimony. The Shia board has also said in the affidavit that it wants a peaceful solution to the dispute.

It must be recalled that the Babri case is being represented by both the Sunni and Shia Waqf Boards from the Muslim side.

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