Edict issued: ‘Casting vote a religious responsibility’

TTP rejected the fatwa and accused Allama Tahir Ashrafi of acting on the behest of the establishment.

ISLAMABAD:

Religious scholars have issued a decree declaring voting a ‘religious responsibility’ for every Pakistani.

The move comes just days after the Taliban issued threats warning people, particularly women, against participating in the upcoming elections.

“Since change in Pakistan is possible only through the ballot, it is the religious responsibility of every Pakistani to cast his vote because vote-casting is like deposing in a court of law; so concealing evidence is a sin,” stated the edict issued on Thursday by the Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) at the Qaumi Yakjehti Conference.

PUC chairman Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi read out the edict in the presence of various religious leaders and scholars from different schools of thought, as well as representatives of religious minorities.

The 40-page edict also stressed that women enjoyed equal rights as men to cast their vote and called for the establishment of separate booths for women at polling stations. “The polling staff should comprise only of women where no na mehram is present,” the edict stated.

It added that 52% of the population could be left deprived of their right to vote in case women were barred from casting votes and prevented from accessing Parliament.

“If the gentle citizens do not come out to vote and just stay isolated, it would adversely affect not only results of the election but also demoralise the masses just as has been happening in the past,” Ashrafi said.

Although religious scholars were unanimous on women’s right to vote, they differed on the way they should cast their votes. Some were of the opinion that women must not become a tool in election campaigns, while others felt there was no harm in women campaigning for candidates.

The edict also stated that it was necessary to take into consideration the credentials of candidates. The manifestos and constitutions of political parties should also be kept in mind in order to ensure complete impartiality in matters of caste, clan, sect and interests while electing a candidate, it added.

At the conclusion of the conference, religious scholars also issued a declaration condemning “certain forces that want to sabotage elections in Pakistan”. This group, the declaration said, is blamed for not giving women the right to vote. It reiterated that in the light of the edict, it was clear that women were not only allowed to cast votes but were permitted to take part in the election process.

The declaration also called for the enhancement of interfaith harmony and religious reconciliation.

Ashrafi told the audience that guidance was sought and included in the edict from scholars like Maulana Mufti Taqi Usmani, Mufti Maulana Muhammad Shafi, Mufti Kifayatullah of Darul Fatawa, Maulana Mufti Abdul Mashkoor Tirmizi and Maulana Mufti Jamil Ahmad Thanvi.

Taliban reject Ashrafi’s fatwa

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan have rejected the fatwa issued by the Pakistan Clerics Council and accused its chief, Allama Tahir Ashrafi, of acting on the behest of the establishment.

In a statement on Thursday, TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said the fatwa had no worth since the people of Pakistan were well aware that Ashrafi tended to ‘pursue the policies of the establishment’.

“It is ridiculous and foolish to call the present election system Islamic,” the TTP spokesman told The Express Tribune when his reaction on the fatwa was sought.

“Religious scholars are very clear in their opinion that democratic system is un-Islamic,” Ehsan maintained.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26^th, 2013.