LAHORE: The All-Pakistan Sunni Conference at a special meeting today [Dec 5] endorsed by a resolution the Fatwa issued by Mufti-i-Azam Allama Abdul Barkat Syed Ahmad Shah that to assign the office of the Head of the State to a female is “un-Islamic and Haram”, besides being “destructive” for the country and the nation.

Moved by Allama Syed Ahmad Saeed Shah Kazmi and seconded by Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Naeemi and Maulana Ghulam Ali Okarvi, the resolution was passed unanimously. The meeting, which was attended by nearly 650 leaders of the All-Pakistan Jamiat-ul-Mashaikh and Jamiat-ul-Ulema-i-Pakistan, was presided over by Hazrat Ameer-ul-Mashaikh Khwaja Khan Mohammad Sajjada Nasheen of Taunsa Sharif.

By another resolution moved by Sahibzada Syed Faiz-ul-Hasan Shah and seconded by Hafiz Bashir Ahmad Ghaziabadi, the conference appreciated the services rendered by President Ayub Khan for the “defence and stability” of the country, [and] pledged its unstinted support to him in the presidential election. “Since the President has given his solemn promise to bring all laws in force in the country in conformity with the tenets of Islam this conference pledges full support of the Ulema and Mashaikh to President Ayub Khan”.

Published in Dawn December 6th , 2014