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Muslim board to discuss masjid
issue on Sunday: PTI

"The meeting has been convened to review the situation arising out of various belligerent statements of VHP and other members of the Sangh Parivar on the construction of the Ram Temple at the sub-judice site at Ayodhya," Kamal Farooqui, a member of the AIMPLB told PTI.

The meeting is being held against the backdrop of the Dharam Sansad meet at the Kumbh in Allahabad to decide a date for construction of the temple.

The 150-member board headed by Qazi Muzahidul Islam Qasmi feelt that the Babri Masjid is not "exchangeable or disposable", and stressing on "once a masjid always a masjid" it sees no purpose in talks with those who have demolished the masjid, Farooqui said.

"If at all the VHP and Sangh Parivar were interested in talks, let them talk to the central government for what ever they want. Muslims are waiting for the Supreme Court judgement on the Ayodhya issue," he said.

Syed Shahabuddin, a member of the 41-member executive of the AIMPLB and convenor of the Babri Masjid Movement Co-ordination Committee, said the board was the only "competent" Muslim body to negotiate on the Babri issue and it was for this purpose that a 15-member committee was appointed in June, 1993.

Therefore, no individual or organisation can speak on the issue, Shahabuddin said, indirectly referring to attempts by some Sangh Parivar leaders to negotiate with certain Muslim leaders or organisations.

He said despite media hype there has been no contact between the government and board or the BMMCC on the issue, though there were some leaders of the Muslim community, including himself, who have been searching informally for a "compromise without surrendering" the Babri Masjid site.

He said growing consensus within the community was that in the context of "belligerent" statements by VHP and other Sangh Parivar leaders, there was no question of negotiation with them.

But, in principle, if the government takes an initiative "with something to chew on, and takes effective action to create a conducive atmosphere, the board may agree to negotiate in principle, because there is no contradiction between the judicial process and the process of negotiation".

There is a case for "revision" of the mandir site plan, leaving the masjid site out, he said and added that no Muslim had objected to the construction of a temple in Ayodhya provided the masjid site was excluded.

Besides Qasmi, prominent among those attending the meeting include Maulana Sirajul Hasan, Maulan Qalbe Sadiq, Abdul Karim Parekh, Maulana Sajjad Nomani and Shahabuddin.

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