ISLAMABAD: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) created confusion on Wednesday when it first declared the levy of withholding tax on bank withdrawals ‘un-Islamic’ but later backtracked, saying that the matter was still under consideration.

In an official statement, CII Chairman Allama Dr Raghib Naeemi and other members of the council described the levy as an undue financial burden on citizens and contrary to Sharia.

It urged the government to reconsider the imposition of the withholding tax for the welfare of the people.

However, hours later, following a strong reaction from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the council issued a corrigendum.

Council takes issue with SC judgement on woman’s right to maintenance, softens stance on human milk banks

“Regarding today’s CII meeting, the impression emerged that the council had formed a final opinion on withholding tax whereas in fact, a few members had an initial discussion on it, which yielded differing opinions,” the clarification said.

It maintained that members had suggested that the council should consult some experts on the matter in its next meeting.

“The council did not take any decision on the issue under discussion,” the subsequent statement concluded.

In its official announcement, the CII also seemed to soften its stance on the establishment of human milk banks. It declared that facilities to store human milk could be established under specific conditions, but cautioned that mandatory legislation should first be enacted and the council consulted in this process, in order to prevent corruption and/or misuse. The council also opposed proposed amendments to the Diyat law, insisting that Sharia-mandated quantities of gold, silver, and camels must remain part of the legislation.

In addition, the council expressed reservations over a Sept 11, 2025 SC verdict, saying that the court’s decision implied that Iddat was mandatory for a married woman in case of divorce, even if the marriage had not been consummated.

The Council opined that observance of Iddat and payment of maintenance in the event of such a divorce was against the principles of Quran and Sunnah. The opinion referred to a recent ruling, authored by SC judge Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, who held that a woman’s right to maintenance (Nafaqa) was neither contingent upon consummation or ‘Rukhsati’ (bridal departure) nor is it subject to her husband’s discretion.

In a separate opinion, the CII considered the blasphemy allegations levelled against noted social media personality and cleric, Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza. The matter was referred to the CII for an opinion by the cybercrime agency.

The council held that while the use of certain undesirable words could be considered acceptable if they were delivered in a context where the intent was to warn against wrong-doing, it noted that this was not the case.

Consequently, the council recommended that he should be proceeded against under the relevant laws.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2025