LAHORE, Nov 16: Scholars and leaders of religio-political parties have rejected Council of Islamic Ideology's (CII’s) recommendations about marriage and divorce, saying the body is violating its mandate by recommending amendments in Islamic laws.

Those who give the opinion include Jamaat-i-Islami amir Qazi Husain Ahmad, Chaudhry Muhammad Aslam Saleemi, Asadullah Bhutto, Hafiz Muhammad Idrees, former CII member Maulana Abdul Malik, Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan Secretary-General Qari Zawwar Bahadur, Maulana Abdul Jalil Naqasbandi, Agha Muhammad Mansoorah and head of Darusalam Darguzri Syed Mahmood Farooqi

They say that rules and regulations about marriage and divorce are well settled, therefore, no one is empowered to amend them for pleasing the West and promoting a culture of waywardness in the country.

They say the recommendations about the dissolution of the marriage contract within 90 days if the husband does not divorce his wife and making it obligatory to register the divorce for its validity are against the teachings of Islam.

They took a strong exception to the CII demand for revoking the condition of Mahram for Haj, saying that any lacuna in the constitution should be addressed instead of repealing a safety guard for women traveling to other destinations.

Verbally announced divorce, they say, is considered valid and effective in all schools of thought therefore, the compulsory registration of divorce is out of question.

Muslim jurists say that a woman can file an application in the court of law for her divorce and the court can adjudicate upon it looking into specific circumstances but this cannot be made a law applicable to the people at large.

Scholars reject the CII recommendations and warn that any effort to implement them or legislation on their basis will be resisted.