The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has expressed reservations over several reasons given in the Supreme Court’s July 24 judgment in the Mubarak Ahmad Sani case and urged the judges to review their decision.
The CII, in a statement issued after its meeting on Thursday, said that the entire nation is worried about this, it is a matter of faith and love for the Holy Prophet rather than legal technicalities.
A meeting was held to discuss the decision of the Supreme Court under the chairmanship of Islamic Ideological Council Dr. Muhammad Raghib Hussain Naimi.
CII will soon send its detailed report on the matter to the Supreme Court, the statement said, adding that there are many parts of the judgment which religious scholars and CII consider inappropriate in the light of Islamic injunctions. .
Members of the Islamic Ideological Council expressed hope that the Supreme Court would soon review its decision and urged the government, especially Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, to play an effective role in the matter.
It may be recalled that on February 6, a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faiz Isa quashed the conviction of Mubarak Sani, who was charged with an offense under the Punjab Quran (Printing and Recording) (Amendment) Act, 2019. He was accused of committing a crime.
In its judgment, the court noted that the offense charged against the respondent was not made criminal till 2021. Consequently, the apex court set aside the conviction and ordered the petitioner’s immediate release.
This led to what the government and the legal community called a malicious and defamatory campaign against the Chief Justice, even forcing the Supreme Court to issue a clarification.
This decision was later challenged by the Punjab Government on the ground that paragraph 9 of the Order relating to Article 20 of the Constitution required amendment as the rights of citizens as envisaged under this clause were not absolute but law, public order and public order. And were subject to morality.
Accepting the petitions, the Supreme Court on July 24 reportedly held that the right to profess religion and freedom of religion as guaranteed by the Constitution is subject to law, morality and public order.
