Waqf Board forms trust for mosque in Ayodhya, construction to begin soon

15-member trust to be headed by Waqf Board chairperson Zufar Ahmad Faruqi

A week before the foundation laying of Ram temple, the Sunni Waqf Board too formed a trust for the construction of a mosque in Ayodhya. The name of the trust would be Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation. 

The Supreme Court in its verdict on the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute had ordered the allotment of 5 acres of land to the Sunni Waqf Board for the construction of a mosque. Sunni Waqf board was the petitioner in the case. 
 

Following court order, the state government had allotted 5 acres of land to the waqf board at Rounahi in Ayodhya district.

The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board on Wednesday announced the formation of trust for the mosque and named 15 members. The chief executive officer (CEO) of the board will be the founder trustee, while Zufar Ahmad Faruqui will be the chief trustee and chairperson. 

The waqf board has nominated Adnan Farooq Shah as the vice-president of the trust and Athar Hussain as the treasurer. The other members of the trust are Faez Aftab, Mohammad Junaid Siddiqui, Shaikh Saiduzzuman, Mohammad Rashid and Imran Ahmad. 

The board will co-opt six members in the trust later on. The trust will have a maximum of 15 members.

According to the chairperson of the Waqf Board, Zufar Ahmad Faruqi, the trust would soon decide on the date of the construction. 

The board in its earlier meeting had decided to construct a mosque and other facilities for the public on the 5 acres of land allotted to it by the state government in Ayodhya. 

Earlier there was difference of opinion among the members of the trust over accepting the state government’s offer of 5 acres of land instead of Babri Masjid. 

The trust had even filed a revision petition in the apex court in this matter, which was rejected.  However later on the trust, as well the other petitioner decided to accept the offer of the land.