CM Buzdar summoned to ensure implementation of LHC order

Provincial top court told that relevant authorities are not complying with its directives

LAHORE:

Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Shujaat Ali Khan has summoned Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar to appear in person in a case pertaining to the alleged publication of the Holy Quran by the minority Ahmadiyya community.

In the recent past, petitioner Hassan Moavia had filed a petition claiming that the members of the minority community were not only publishing the Holy Quran with “distorted text and mutilated translation” but also sending its copies abroad.

Justice Shujaat had disposed of the petition by passing certain directions. Now the petitioner has once again approached the court, saying that the authorities concerned are not implementing the court’s directives.

During the hearing of the case, the LHC judge also summoned other stakeholders for getting their view on the matter. It transpired during the proceedings that police shifted the burden onto the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

The FIA claimed that the police did not cooperate with them during the investigation of the case.

An FIA official told the court that they conducted a raid at Chanab Nagar but the district police officer (DPO) Chiniot and the other police officials were not fully cooperating with them.

However, the DPO maintained that FIA officials did not complete the due process before conducting the raid.

Also read: Three Ahmadiyya community members arrested after LHC rejects bail

The petitioner’s counsel told the court that certain directions of the court had been implemented while most are left unattended.

At which Justice Shujaat summoned the Punjab chief minister on November 8 at 1pm to ensure the implementation of the court’s order in letter and spirit.

In its earlier order, the court had passed 18 directions for the authorities concerned that include the availability of a standard copy of the Holy Quran along with its literal meaning at federal, provincial, district and tehsil levels duly approved by the respective Quran Boards to use it as a specimen to determine as to whether any subsequent publication qualifies the test of authenticity of the original text of Holy Quran and its literal meaning or not.

Secondly, the court had directed the federal as well as provincial governments to take steps to ensure that only the printers/publishers, authorised by the Quran Board, are allowed to print the Holy Quran and other religious books of the Muslims.

“Further, the authorised printers/publishers be bound down to give specific Bar/QR code as well as a distinct serial number against each copy of every religious book, in particular the Holy Quran, to know the authenticity of the said book and to fix responsibility in case of any omission/commission on the part of any publisher/printer,” read the judgement.

Furthermore, each page of the Holy Quran is embossed with the name of the publisher/company in order to eliminate the possibility of replacement of any page at a subsequent stage.