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India-Pakistan

CII decries naming QAU physics centre after Dr Abdus Salam

2016-12-11

[DAWN] Chairing the last session as the head of Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on Thursday, Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani decried the proposal to rename the Quaid-e-Azam University's (QAU) physics centre after Professor Abdus Salam. Toldja so. The council discussed the proposal after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... forwarded a summary to President Mamnoon Hussain of his approval to rename the National Centre for Physics at QAU the "Professor Abdus Salam Centre for Physics". Addressing a presser after the council's meeting, the CII chairman said changing the department's name would not set the right precedent. "We have concerns over the change of its [physics centre's] name as it was earlier named to honour Dr Riaz," said Sherani, but declined to offer any reason for the opposition. He was also asked if the CII had objections over renaming of other institutions or roads but Sherani declined to offer any comment over the subject. Nuclear physicist and Pakistain’s first Nobel laureate Professor Abdus Salam hailed from the country’s Ahmedi community. Pakistain declared Ahmedis non-Moslems in 1974. In 1984, they were banned from calling themselves Moslems. They are banned from preaching and even from travelling to Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... for pilgrimage. Their publications are prohibited. In May 2010, jacket wallahs killed 80 people at two Ahmedi places of worship.

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India-Pakistan

Dictators did more for Islamisation, says Sherani

2016-03-05

That should tell you something right there. [DAWN] The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) noted on Thursday that only dictators had worked towards the ‘Islamisation’ of laws in the country, whereas democratic governments -- especially the PML-N -- had been working against Islamic norms. The council also formally rejected Punjab’s recently-passed Protection of Women bill, as well as the draft of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... ’s Domestic Violence bill for encouraging Western norms in society. Following the conclusion of the two-day CII meeting, Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani and several council members denounced subsequent democratic governments for failing to ensure that all laws of the country are formulated in accordance with Islam. "Pakistain was established on the basis of the two-nation theory and one of those nations are the followers of Islam. Therefore, all laws and principles in the country have to be in accordance with Islam," Maulana Sherani said, adding, "But nearly all efforts to bring all laws under the ambit of Sharia have been undertaken in undemocratic eras." He said that while the CII was established in 1962, six laws -- including the Hudood Ordinance and the blasphemy law -- were formulated on the recommendations of council in 1983, while the Objectives Resolution of 1949 was incorporated into the Constitution in 1985. "These milestones towards Islamisation were achieved in undemocratic eras, but the PML-N, which carries the name ‘Muslim League’, is trying to undo all Islamic structures in the country," Maulana Sherani maintained. He was referring to the two bills scrutinised by the council on Thursday. While the Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard 2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers 3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... Assembly has already approved the Protection of Women bill, the KP draft bill is unique in that this is the first instance in Pakistain’s history where a province has asked the CII to whet a law. "Both the bills -- the Punjab law and the KP draft -- are contrary to Sharia, our culture and the norms of our society," the CII chief said. Both bills, he claimed, aimed to undo ‘family values’ as there was no mention of respectable relations such as mothers, sons/daughters, husbands and wives. "The bills contain the terms ‘male/female child, persons etc’, which discourages relations based on family values -- promoting the way they live in the West," Maulana Sherani said, as other holy mans belonging to the Shia, Deobandi and Barelvi sects nodded in appreciation. The lone woman in the CII, Dr Samia Raheel Qazi, was also among them. The CII chairman said that another conspiracy to break the family structures was bringing women out of the protection of their homes. "Now they want to encourage women to kick their husbands out and see them in chains -- eventually the state and authorities will be in a position to control society," he added. The CII chief was asked if there were any alternative solutions for the issues and problems that had led Punjab t pass the bill. "The solution is that Punjab should undo this Bill and then forward a formal request to the CII to suggest ways and means for the protection of women from domestic violence," he said, adding that laws against domestic violence were already present in the Pakistain Penal Code.

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India-Pakistan

Scuffle breaks out between Maulana Sherani, Ashrafi during CII meeting

2015-12-30

[DAWN] A meeting of the Council for Islamic Ideology (CII) turned violent when a scuffle broke out between member Maulana Tahir Ashrafi and chairman Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani, DawnNews reported on Tuesday. Sources at the meeting said participants were discussing the status of Ahmadis under the Constitution when Ashrafi, who is also chairman of the Pakistain Ulema Council, and Sherani entered into an argument that later turned personal. In a presser later, Ashrafi said Sherani grabbed him by the collar and tore it. "He tore my collar with his own hands, " said Ashrafi. But according to an eye witness, Ashrafi had first lunged at Sherani to grab his collar. According to Ashrafi, council members -- including himself -- were opposed to the idea of debating the status of Ahmadis because there already existed a consensus on the issue. "He [Maulana Sherani] wants to make the law on Ahmadis controversial, and push the country towards violence." Participants in the meeting intervened to defuse the situation and broke up the physical altercation. However, it was a brave man who first ate an oyster... Maulana Sherani, talking to news hounds said, "Ahmadis are non-Muslims under the Constitution and there is a unanimous fatwa on that." He said the council had no intention of declaring Ahmadis Muslim. Sherani said the matter was taken up by the council because the Ahmadi issue has been a bone of contention in society, with new fatwas on the matter appearing every other day. The CII is a constitutional body that advises the legislature whether or not a certain law is repugnant to Islam, in particular to the Koran and Sunna.

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India-Pakistan

Ulema support organ transplant as CII chief prevaricates

2015-04-10

[DAWN] A grand congregation of religious scholars organised at the Sheikh Zayed Islamic Centre, Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... University, on Wednesday saw almost everyone except the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) leadership clearly in favour of organ transplantation. Maulana Sherani said the Learned Elders of Islam should delve into whether or not an organ of a Moslem could be transplanted to a non-Moslem; and if an organ of a Moslem was transplanted to a non-Moslem, then would the Moslem's part also be punished on the Day of the Judgement with its non-Moslem owner. Most of them also praised the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation for saving lives through its organ donation programme. However, if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning... CII chairman Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani, who is known for stirring controversies including the one related to DNA evidence in rape cases, discussed everything but failed to give a clear verdict on organ transplantation. Instead he called upon fellow scholars to research certain matters, which, for him, were mandatory to be settled first. Maulana Sherani said the Learned Elders of Islam should delve into another issue first that was whether or not an organ of a Moslem could be transplanted to a non-Moslem; and if an organ of a Moslem was transplanted to a non-Moslem, then would the Moslem's part would also be punished on the Day of the Judgement with its non-Moslem owner. He asked several other questions related to organ transplant, telling religious scholars to investigate the issues further. Then he answered his own primary question with examples. One of them, he elaborated, was that on the Day of Judgement all living creatures would regain their original body parts on the call of divinity. For this reason, it was to be examined if the donation of an organ was allowed in Islam or not, he said. He spoke at length over thousands of recommendations made by the CII and forwarded to the government for legislation in parliament. Mufti Munibur Rehman, chairman of the federal government's moon-sighting committee, stuck to the key point of the agenda and clearly said a Moslem's organ could be transplanted to a non-Moslem and vice versa. "It is my opinion that a Moslem's organ could be transplanted to a non-Moslem or vice versa as the body and organs of humans are not Najis and could be used to save human lives," said the Mufti. He said different organs of a human body remained alive for a certain period even after death, which could be used and transplanted to another human body to save a life. "As Maulana Sherani already said," he added, "all parts of Moslems come to the Moslems again on the Day of Judgement." He said any organ that helped survive a human being through transplantation was in accordance with Islam. "The best human being is the one who serves the most humanity and saving lives through transplantation is great service to humanity," he said after quoting some great scholars. Jamaat-e-Ulema Pakistain-Noorani president Dr Abul Khair Mohammad Zubair said charity was the deed of prophets and organ transplantation was the greatest charity to save human lives. "Saving lives can never be against Islam," he said, asking the CII that it was their primary job to save lives through research and recommendations and get it passed through the parliament.

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India-Pakistan

Parliament, not CII: DNA testing

2013-09-26

[Dawn] MONDAY'S decision by the Council of Islamic Ideology not to have DNA testing in rape cases as primary evidence, as suggested by some, would have come as a disappointment to those who had expectations to the contrary. Giving the council's final opinion on the matter, CII chairman Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani told newsmen on Thursday that even though DNA testing was a useful and modern technique, a court could only take it into account along with other material as "supporting evidence". Evidently, the CII's reformist camp led by Maulana Tahir Ashrafi failed to convince the majority in the CII that the results of a DNA test could be the sole basis for convicting a person accused of rape. The CII chief also rejected the Women's Protection Act of 2006 and defended the blasphemy law by saying it should not be amended. The deliberations among the CII's learned scholars are useful up to the point that they highlight the pros and cons of a given issue and enlighten the public and the politicians from an Islamic perspective. But it should be remembered that the CII is only a recommendatory body, and its suggestions are not supposed to inhibit parliament's lawmaking rights. The Zia-era Hudood and blasphemy laws are controversial because they were imposed by decree, and not legislated by a sovereign parliament. The CII does not accommodate the views of all segments of Pak society, and in the presence of a parliament composed of democratically elected representatives, the council is, in fact, of very little use. Where an issue requires consensus, it is the prerogative of parliament to debate and decide. Which means the National Assembly and the Senate have the right to legislate on the DNA issue even if they want to consider the CII's stance. More important, all major religious parties are there in parliament, and, thus, there is no reason why one of the National Assembly's special committees cannot discuss the issue and make recommendations to parliament.

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India-Pakistan

Rape cases: CII says DNA data not acceptable as primary evidence

2013-05-31

[Dawn] The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has declared that DNA test is not acceptable as primary evidence in cases of rape, but it could be used as a supporting evidence for confirmation of the crime. A meeting of the CII, presided over by its chairman Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani on Wednesday, also maintained that there was nothing wrong with the blasphemy law and it didn't need amendment. The meeting was of the view that Islam has set procedures to determine cases of rape and said Islamic procedure should be adopted during investigation. It declared human cloning illegal because it is against Islam. The CII directed the Higher Education Commission and other institutions to correct English translation of 'Allah', 'Rasool' and 'Masjid'. It said the usage of 'Holy Book' and 'Holy Place' was illegal. The meeting expressed concern ...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended... over changes made in the syllabus of Islamic Studies, especially in Punjab, and instructed the provincial government to include the deleted chapters/essays from the curriculum. It instructed the Director General, Research, Mohammad Ilyas Khan who is also CII secretary, to send letters to all provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan asking them to ensure Islamic education in their syllabus. The meeting ordered the authorities to look into the books being taught in educational institutions and rectify errors. The council suggested dialogue to resolve the issue of 'Ruet-e-Hilal' (sighting of moon) due to which every year a dispute arises between religious scholars of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and other provinces. Maulana Mufti Ghulam Mustafa Rizvi, retired Justice Nazir Akhtar, retired Justice Mushtaq Ahmed, Dr Mohammad Idrees Soomro, Allama Iftikhar Hussain Naqvi, Saeed Ahmed Shah Gujrati, Maulana Hanif Jalandhari and others attended the meeting.

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India-Pakistan

CII's stand on militancy

2011-10-06

[Dawn] FOUR days after the All-Party Conference in Islamabad passed its 'consensus resolution', the head of the Council of Islamic Ideology declared on Monday that the beturbanned goons were well-wishers of neither Islam nor Pakistain, and emphasised that violence was no solution to problems. Addressing a presser in Quetta in the presence of Learned Elders of Islam from different sects, Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani appealed to all religious and political parties to unite to face the internal and external forces threatening Pakistain. Coming from the chief of the constitutional body, the rejection of religious militancy is in line with several fatwas given in the past by individual Learned Elders of Islam and larger multi-sect conferences in Pakistain and elsewhere in South Asia against suicide kabooms and acts of terror targeting innocent people. Even though the Learned Elders of Islam's reaction to acts of terror has often been tardy and restrained, some brave individuals, like Mufti Naeemi of Lahore, have paid with their lives for being outspoken in their denunciation of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistain's murderous acts. Maulana Sherani's opinion bordering on a fatwa should be taken note of by the government, which, following some vexatious developments, has renewed its commitment to seeking a negotiated settlement to the Taliban insurgency. While no one in their sane mind would quarrel with this idea in principle, the CII chief's declaration arms the PPP-led government with a moral locus standi with which to negotiate with those who, according to him, are not well-wishers of Islam and Pakistain. The TTP and other religious myrmidon groups have declared war on Pakistain and continue to kill Pak soldiers, men, women and kiddies. If the negotiations are to be held, or are perhaps already under way, the public ought to know where we are headed and what exactly is the price the nation will have to pay if the government is to negotiate and compromise with the beturbanned goons. More regretfully, in spite of the olive branch proffered by the APC, the beturbanned goons have not conveyed a categorical acceptance of the peace call. In fact, the initial reaction from the TTP has been lukewarm and conditional.

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India-Pakistan

Waziristan operation given go-ahead

2009-10-17

[Dawn] The country's top civil and military command and most of the major opposition parties' leaders decided in principle on Friday to launch a military operation in South Waziristan, terming it 'imperative' to eliminating terrorism and extremism from the country. According to sources, participants of a meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, agreed that a recent spate of suicide bombings in different parts of the country had roots in South Waziristan and suicide bombings and terrorist attacks could not be curbed without crushing terrorists' leaders hiding in tribal areas. Chief of Army Staff, Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, gave a detailed briefing and the meeting is reported to have decided about the timing of the operation, but it was not officially disclosed to the media. According to the sources, the operation might be launched within 24 hours. President Asif Ali Zardari did not attend, but he had discussed the matter with Prime Minister Gilani shortly before the meeting. Security sources said it was going to be a three-pronged operation supervised by the corps commander concerned with the aim to block all routes of militants present in the region, particularly the Mehsud area. The operation will be supported by the air power, including helicopter gunships and jet bombers. The army has reportedly sent two divisions totalling 28,000 men and blocked different routes in the area. Analysts said an immediate push would be needed with winter approaching. It was learnt that military authorities had completed all arrangements for the operation. Over 8,000 families of South Waziristan moved to Dera Ismail Khan on Friday to seek shelter. There was no significant opposition to the operation in the meeting, except some concerns expressed by leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-N. A source quoted PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar as saying: 'We were invited to discuss the law and order situation, but the whole discussion focused on South Waziristan.' The army chief said the situation had become so 'dangerous' because of terrorist activities being planned in South Waziristan that a military operation had become unavoidable. Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt-Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha briefed the meeting about intelligence reports and said: 'You cannot imagine how many people are on the hit list of terrorists. They are not only important personalities and politicians but some ordinary people in different professions.' Interior Minister Rehman Malik gave a separate briefing when Chaudhry Nisar asked why the operation had become necessary. He presented an overall picture of militant organisations and their activities in South Waziristan and claimed that not only the current spate of terrorist attacks, but also those that took place in the past had links with Taliban in the region. The PML-Q supported the decision to launch the operation. 'We condemn slaughter of innocent people by terrorists and support any operation to be launched in South Waziristan,' said the party's chief, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain. A PML-Q leader, Ameer Muqam, said the meeting had extended complete support to the army in the war against terror. 'Our forces are fighting against militancy and we know that there is no other way to deal with the situation.' In reply to a question, he said the timing of the operation would depend on the government, its resources and the military authorities, 'but one clear message the political leadership gave in the meeting is that the entire nation is behind the army in this war'. The meeting was attended by Awami National Party's Asfandyar Wali Khan, PML-N's Mian Shahbaz Sharif, Muttahida Qaumi Movement's Dr Farooq Sattar, Balochistan National Party-A's Senator Israrullah Zehri, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao of the Pakistan People's Party-S, Munir Khan Orakzai from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Mian Raza Rabbani of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Pir Sadruddin Shah of the PML-F, Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl), Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira, NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani, Chief Minister Amir Haidar Khan Hoti, the chief of the Intelligence Bureau and other officials. 'It has always been our stand that whatever resources and economic support are required would be given in the war on terror,' Senator Rabbani of the PPP said.The meeting decided that the writ of the government would never be compromised in any part of the country. 'There was consensus that all efforts to eradicate extremism and terrorism will be taken forward,' Rabbani said. The army has spent months softening targets in the region with air strikes, but refuses to set a timeframe for a ground offensive. A handout said the political leadership noted that there already existed an across-the-board consensus to root out extremism and restore the writ of the state. The leadership acknowledged the army's successes in Malakand and Swat, condemned the recent upsurge of terror incidents and agreed that militancy posed a serious threat to the sovereignty and integrity of the state. In the given circumstances, the national consensus was reaffirmed to establish and maintain the writ of the state and weed out those elements. The sources said that the first draft of the statement was rejected on the suggestion of the army chief, who wanted some applause for the armed forces' personnel who had sacrificed their lives in the war on terror. 'The political leadership assembled together appreciated the sacrifices and the ongoing efforts of the Pakistan Army in this regard,' the handout said.

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India-Pakistan

And now there is Tehrik-e-Taliban Balochistan!

2009-03-07

Pakistani Taliban have now surfaced in Balochistan by organising themselves under the banner of Tehrik-e-Taliban Balochistan. Engineer Asad, claiming to be its spokesman, said in a phone call from an undisclosed location in Balochistan that their organisation had no link with the Baitullah Mahsud-led Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). It wasn’t possible to verify the claim made by Engineer Asad or to know more about his identity. The man, who spoke Pashto in an accent peculiar to Balochistan, explained that the members of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Balochistan (TTB) were all Pakistanis. He said the struggle of the TTB was against non-Muslims and Western forces that had attacked and occupied Islamic countries. He said the TTB was opposed to fighting the Pakistani security forces and law-enforcement agencies and turning Pakistan into a battlefield. Instead, he said, the TTB was committed to fighting the enemies of Islam. The TTB spokesman termed suicide bombings un-Islamic. He condemned the suicide attack that targeted and missed the JUI-F provincial head, Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani, and other party leaders at a seminary in Pishin district on Monday. The blast killed six people. Engineer Asad said the TTB wasn’t involved in the Pishin suicide bombing. He said it had no dispute with Maulana Sherani or the JUI-F. “We respect the JUI-F and consider it as our ally. This suicide bombing is the work of our enemies,” he argued. Maulana Sherani, it may be recalled, had blamed a group of the Afghan Taliban led by Mulla Dadullah, who was later killed by US forces in Afghanistan, for a previous attack on his life some years ago. His allegation created rift between the JUI-F and Afghan Taliban. It also caused differences in the JUI-F, as one faction of the party didn’t believe that the Afghan Taliban were behind the failed attack on the life of Maulana Sherani. If one were to believe Engineer Asad, then the group of Pakistani Taliban operating in Balochistan is different than those active in the NWFP and its tribal areas. The TTB is the latest among the Taliban groups now functioning in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The TTP members are almost all Pakhtuns but it is possible that the TTB would have some Baloch activists. The militants hailing from Punjab and operating in the NWFP and Fata are often referred to as Punjabi Taliban.

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India-Pakistan

Six killed in Pishin girls' madrassa suicide blast

2009-03-03

A suicide bomber killed five and injured 12 people at a girls' religious school in Pishin district of Balochistan on Monday. District Police Officer Akbar Raisani confirmed the incident saying that the blast had occurred at a girls' madrassa in Kili Karbala, where a senior leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Maulana Mohammad Khan Sherani, was scheduled to address the school's convocation. Witnesses said the suicide bomber was a teenager who wanted to get close to the JUI-F leader as soon as he ended his speech. Three of the victims were identified as Muhammad Nasim, Jalath Khan and Hafiz Abdul Zahir, while the names of the other two could not be ascertained. Protest: JUI-F supporters burnt tyres on the Jinnah Road and shouted slogans against the government for being unable to arrest the elements behind the blast. JUI-F leader Maulana Abdul Wasay, who is also a senior provincial minister, condemned the incident. He said the JUI would observe a strike across the province today (Tuesday). The police said it was investigating the matter. According to the witnesses, two men had come to the religious school for the bombing but one of them escaped immediately after the first explosion. Quoting police sources, the JUI leaders said two alleged suspects had been arrested in connection with the blast. Balochistan Chief Minister Aslam Raisani expressed sorrow over the blast and assured the bereaved families that the government would investigate into the matter to expose those behind the blast. Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad also condemned the blast and offered condolences to the families of the victims, APP reported.

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