UP Sunni Central Waqf Board announces Trust for building mosque in Ayodhya

Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board President Zufar Ahmad Farooqui announced on Wednesday the formation of a 15-member Trust for the construction of a mosque on a five-acre land in Ayodhya.

Farooqi said that nine of the 15 members have been decided who will “co-opt six other members.” He also announced that he will be chief trustee and the chairman of the trust. Farooqui told PTI,  “We made the Trust named Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation. It will oversee the construction of a mosque, Indo-Islamic research centre, library and hospital in the five-acre land allotted to the board in Ayodhya’s Dhannipur village.”

The Supreme Court had in November last year paved the way for the construction of a Ram Temple by a Trust at the disputed site at Ayodhya while directing the Centre to allot an alternative 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a new mosque at a “prominent” place in the holy town in Uttar Pradesh. The state government had the allotted a five-acre land in Dhannipur village in Sohaval Tehsil of Ayodhya. The Sunni Central Waqf Board had confirmed that it had accepted the 5 acres allocated to it and would set up a trust to build a mosque in February.

Preparations are currentlyon for the ground-breaking ceremony for the Ram temple in Ayodhya on August 5, which would also be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.