Waqf Board will support govt.’s efforts to resolve Munambam dispute, says chairperson

The newly appointed Keralam State Waqf Board chairperson, M.C. Mayin Haji, has said that the board will support the government’s efforts to resolve the contentious Munambam land dispute.

“It is for the government to decide, and the board will stand with it,” he told media persons here on Friday, in response to queries on whether the board would consider the concerns of the affected families on humanitarian grounds. He said the issue was pending before the Kerala High Court and the Waqf Tribunal.

The reconstituted Waqf Board under his leadership held its first meeting here on Friday. Mr. Haji said the agenda consisted mostly of routine administrative matters.

Thodiyoor Muhammad Kunju Maulavi, general secretary of the Dakshina Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, who was included in the reconstituted board, said he would step down after consultations with the government. His decision came after the government worked out a solution to ensure representation for the faction of the Samastha Kerala Jemiyyathul Ulama led by Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar, which had expressed displeasure over its lack of representation on the reconstituted board.

Members of the People’s Democratic Party staged a protest at the State Waqf Board headquarters here on Friday against the dissolution of the previous board. They alleged that the reconstitution was politically motivated.