Govt unlikely to disband CII despite thumbs down by panel

Raja Zafarul Haq says CII is a constitutional body, which may need improvement

ISLAMABAD: The ruling party is unlikely to disband the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), an advisory body that some opposition lawmakers have accused of fomenting incidents of violence against women.

The CII offers recommendations to parliament regarding the compatibility of laws with Islamic Sharia. Recently members of the body ruled that husbands should be allowed to beat their wives in certain circumstances.



The recommendation caused a furore among rights groups and women activists who heaped scorn on the CII.  Last week a parliamentary panel had also questioned the legal standing of the advisory body while linking it to the rising cases of violence against women.

A Senate standing committee, chaired by the MQM Senator Nasreen Jalil, had observed the ‘anti-women’ stance of the CII, observing that it promoted violence against women and had contributed to an overall increase in crimes against the gender.



PPP lawmaker and senator, Farhatullah Babar, pointed out that following the CII statement not only has the number of incidents of violence against women increased but their intensity has also risen.

“There is no need for such a body in the country as the CII submitted its final report to parliament in 1997. Under the Constitution, there is no reason for the council to continue,” Babar had added.

However, Leader of the House in Senate Raja Zafarul Haq said the CII is a constitutional body, formed under Article 228 of the Constitution and, therefore, it cannot be disbanded.



Talking to The Express Tribune, the lawmaker said the basic objective of the body is to give recommendations to parliament over Islamic injunctions.

“How could this constitutional body be disbanded on the demand of a few lawmakers from the opposition benches?” asked Haq. “Instead of recommending to dissolve the body, they should suggest ways to improve it.”

Haq agreed that political appointments should not be made in the body as, he believes, the practice creates more problems for the body. “The appointments should be based on merit and educated religious scholars should be given membership of the council,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 11^th, 2016.