ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Monday unanimously passed a resolution to declare September 7 as a public holiday, commemorating the day in 1974 when parliament had declared Qadianis a non-Muslim minority.
The resolution was moved by JUI-Fazl’s Maulana Attaur Rehman and was unanimously adopted. Following its passage, some members wished to speak on the matter, but it was noted that, according to the rules, no member could address the house after the resolution had been passed.
The resolution reads: “Commemorating the historic day of September 7, 1974, when the Parliament of Pakistan unanimously declared Qadianis as a non-Muslim minority; noting that this day holds significance not only for Pakistan but for the entire Muslim world, as the long-standing struggle of Muslims was ultimately successful.”
It further states, “Realising the importance of highlighting and remembering this historic moment, the Senate of Pakistan recommends to the government that September 7 be celebrated officially and declared a national holiday.” After tabling the resolution, Senator Attaur Rehman briefly addressed the house, emphasising the need to inform and
educate the youth and future generations about the historic events of September 7, when a ‘fitna’ (disorder) challenging the finality of the prophethood of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) was ended. He stressed that officially declaring the day a national holiday would help raise awareness about the finality of prophethood and the decision to declare Qadianis non-Muslims.
After the recitation and the reading of members’ leave of absence, the resolution, listed as item No. 6 on the day’s agenda, was the only item taken up by the chair. Immediately following the adoption of the resolution, the house was prorogued sine die.
It had been widely speculated that significant legislation would be enacted during this session. However, due to a lack of consensus on the proposed constitutional package, no such legislation was introduced to either house.