Won’t accept Ayodhya panel ‘settlement’: Muslim parties

Shocked over reports of Waqf Board ‘withdrawing claim’

The Sunni Waqf Board and other Muslim litigants in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute on Friday rejected the proposal conveyed to the Supreme Court on behalf of the top court appointed mediation committee giving impression that the Waqf Board is ready to give up claim to the disputed site and withdraw its appeal challenging the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment trifurcating the disputed site.

It has been stated in the proposal sent by the mediation committee that the “offer” to give up the claim over the disputed site is subject to some conditionalities like opening of the mosques under the ASI control for offering “namaz”.

A statement issued by the lawyers for the Sunni Waqf Board and other Muslim litigants says, “We must make it absolutely clear that we the appellants before the Supreme Court do not accept the proposal made, which has been leaked out to the press, nor the procedure by which the mediation has taken place nor the manner in which a withdrawal of the claim has been suggested as a compromise. “

Pointing fingers at the mediation committee, the statement has asserted that the recent attempts for some amicable solution of the dispute before the mediation committee were “not representative” as the “main Hindu parties had openly stated that that they were not open to any settlement” and this included the main Muslim appellant — the Waqf Board and others as well.

Distancing themselves from the suggestion being attributed to chairman, Sunni Waqf Board, Zafar Farooqui, the lawyers representing the Muslim side said that there was no resolution of the Waqf Board for surrendering the claim over the disputed site subject to conditionalities.