Ayodhya dispute: Shia cleric urges Adityanath to hold talks with Sunni waqf board

Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad on Sunday urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to hold talks with Sunni Waqf Board too in connection with Ram temple-Babri Masjid dispute.

"I have requested the chief minister to talk to the Sunni Waqf Board over the Babri Masjid matter to resolve the issue. I want to solve the matter through peaceful means," the Shia Cleric told media after holding a meeting with Adityanath at his residence here.

However, the cleric also said the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board chairman, Zufar Ahmed Farooqui, was not a trustworthy person and he has conveyed the same to the chief minister.

During the meeting, as informed by Jawad, cow vigilante violence was also discussed.

"The chief minister said the state government has issued orders in this regard that strict action would be taken against those who do so (violence). He has also said that if someone does this (cow smuggling), then the public should not take law into their own hands, but instead inform the police," Maulana Jawad.

Reportedly, president of Shia Gau Raksha Dal, Shamil Shamsi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amil Shamsi were also present there.