ISLAMABAD: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) expressed concern on Wednesday over the May 9 violence and observed that “extremist actions” like these could not be ignored as they were not only against the Constitution but also contrary to the teachings of Sharia.

Dr Qibla Ayaz, Chairman of the council, said it was unfortunate that memorials of martyrs were desecrated and military installations like the Jinnah House (Corps Commander House in Lahore) were attacked by mobs. In a media briefing after a CII meeting, Dr Ayaz said the council viewed acts of arson and desecration like those seen on May 9 as an attempt to create anarchy in society.

Dr Ayaz said the CII noted with dismay that “incidents of mob justice” were rising in the country, calling upon the government to never allow “a small group of individuals” to flout the law with impunity.

“The position of the council regarding such incidents has always been very clear that only the state has the authority to award punishments after completing legal and judicial formalities,” the CII chief said.

“It’s a violation of the Constitution and Sharia if a mob kills any person based on of hearsay and without giving him a chance to prove his innocence,” Dr Qibla Ayaz said.

The meeting was attended by clerics belonging to all the four mainstream sects of Islam in the country.

The CII suggested constitution of special courts to hear and decide such cases expeditiously and to prevent such incidents, Dr Ayaz added.

Regarding the May 9 violence, he called it “a dark chapter in the nation’s history” and expressed concern that the international media, especially India’s, kept playing up the incidents over several days.

“The positive aspect of these unfortunate events is that the entire nation, including leaders of political as well as religious parties, condemned acts of arson and incidents of violence on May 9 with one voice,” Dr Qibla Ayaz said.

“Participants of the meeting expressed the hope that all those charged with carrying out attacks on military installations, Jinnah House and heritage sites will get a fair chance to defend themselves,” the CII chairman said.

“Such incidents have to be stopped forever so that Pakistan emerges as a safe, peaceful and strong country,” the CII meeting noted.

The council recalled its order of Dec 20, 2021, after the Sialkot tragedy where factory workers killed a Sri Lankan citizen after accusing him of committing blasphemy.

“We have given comprehensive recommendations over that case and the Council endorsed the message of the ‘Pakistan Declaration’ in which scholars of all schools of thought gave a fatwa that only the state has the authority to award punishments.”

Transgender Act

The council welcomed a recent decision of the Federal Shariat Court on the Transgender Act, saying that the verdict was in line with the CII’s recommendations.

The meeting also took note of a decision by a two-member bench of the Supreme Court on April 12 regarding Jalan, a television play.

The Council of Islamic Ideology expressed concern over the “definitions of obscenity, sexual orientation and tolerance” in the SC judgement, describing them as incompatible with Sharia and Article 19 of the Constitution.

The council decided to write a letter to the Supreme Court’s registrar in order to convey its reservations over the verdict.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2023