By Arshad Afzaal Khan

Ayodhya, Dec 23 (IANS): After the statement of All India Muslim Personal Law Board members that the mosque to be built by Sunni Central Waqf Board in Ayodhya is against the Shariat and Waqf Act, the chairman of the Waqf Board, Zufar Farooqi told IANS that the land for the proposed mosque is not exchanged land.

"For this land, the Waqf Board has paid stamp duty to the government and the land is the property of Waqf Board as its other properties like the Waqf Board's offices and some other properties that do not come under Waqf.

Farooqi, who is also the president of Indo Islamic Cultural Foundation, the Trust constituted by the Waqf Board to build the mosque at Ayodhya, said, "the land allotted to Sunni Central Waqf Board at Dhannipur village of Ayodhya is not the land that has not been bartered as claimed by AIMPLB member Zafaryab Jilani. We have paid stamp duty of Rs 9,29,400 for this land."

"There is no shifting of the then Babri Masjid as the Babri Masjid premises was given to the Hindu party by Supreme Court order. The Dhannipur land was given in ownership of Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board by same SC order and it is not Waqf land," said Farooqi

"Supreme Court has not accepted Babri Masjid as Waqf. If the apex court had accepted the land as Waqf we would have won the case, the court clearly said dedication is not valid, the 5 acre land given to Waqf Board is not in lieu of Babri Masjid. The land is given to us as restitution by the apex court. This land has been given to UP Sunni Central Waqf Board that is a statutory body. The Waqf Board is not any individual and Waqf Board cannot create any Waqf on its own. Only a believer of Islam can create Waqf and the land was given to Waqf Board and being a legal body it can acquire the property," said Farooqi.

"Apart from two properties of Waqf Board in Lucknow, the two offices, this is the third property at Dhannipur and the Dhannipur property has been transferred to Ayodhya Mosque Trust," he added.

Athar Hussain, Secretary of Ayodhya Mosque Trust, reacting on the issue said "Zafaryab Jilani of AIMPLB is such a competent lawyer, if we are violating norms of any Act like Central Waqf Act then why does he not challenge it in a court of law and immediately stop such supposedly illegal act of ours. If he is not doing so then he is simply spreading misinformation and doing that is against Shariat and teachings of Quran."