Parliament not debating CII reports: Shirani

Islamabad

Chairman Council of Islamic Ideology (CCI) Maulana Muhammad Khan Shirani, MNA, has said that both houses of the Parliament had not abided by the constitutional requirement of discussing successive reports tabled by the CII and also no serious attempt was made either to make changes in the existing laws or to replace them with the Islamic laws.

Talking to The News at Parliament House premises, the Maulana, who is also a prominent leader of the JUI-F, said he remained the CII member since 90’s and was elevated to the post of its chairman in 2010 and what he saw with regards to moulding the English legacy of legislation in accordance with the Islamic teachings, the Parliament had failed to do its duty. He said that first final report of the Council, which was due to be presented to Parliament in 1980, was delayed and presented in 1996.

Maulana Shirani regretted that the reports that were tabled in the Lower House 21 months back have still not been put up for the House’s debate as the concerned secretariat has not communicated to the council about the fate of these reports which also require review of the relevant laws in accordance with the guidelines provided in them. A letter from the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs has been received on August 5, 2015 in which the Council has been informed about distribution of these reports among members on August 3.

Article 230 of the Constitution lays down that the Council after seven years of its constitution would present its final report apart from provisional reports every year in the two houses of the Parliament as well as in the four provincial assemblies who will be bound to put the same for debate within six months of presentation and would accordingly frame laws in light of Islamic teachings.

He told that the CII’s annual reports for the year 2009, 2010 and 2011 were tabled in the National Assembly and Senate in March last year as per constitutional requirement, adding that while the Senate chairman has taken up the reports for discussion and fixed timetable for the same, nothing has so far been done by the National Assembly speaker so far. Maulana Shirani said though the first final report came little late the laws review up to 1973 had been completed within time frame by the Council.

The Council has completed 200 sessions and has been regularly reviewing the laws to transform them within the ambit of Islamic injunctions. It was successful in preparing recommendations vis a vis land transfer rights, Qazaf Ordinance, Qanun-e-Qisas, ban on liquor, law of evidence, law on blasphemy, Ramazan sanctity law, enforcement of Shariah Act 1991, rape/zina punishment law, amended wedding form etc.