CII debates WHT merits

The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) clarified on Wednesday that the matter of withholding tax on cash withdrawals and transfers from banks remained under its consideration and that the consultation would continue in the next meeting.

The CII in its 342nd meeting, chaired by its Chairman Allama Dr Muhammad Raghib Hussain Naeemi, expressed conditional support for establishing human milk banks, provided that these were created under strict terms and safeguards.

Earlier, it was stated that the CII had declared the withholding tax on cash withdrawals and transfers from banks to be an excess and un-Islamic.

However, later it clarified that what had been shared earlier merely reflected the preliminary opinions of some members.

The CII noted that although some members voiced concerns about the levy being excessive and un-Islamic, but these were individual viewpoints. It reiterated that the subject remained under review and a conclusive stance would only be taken after thorough debate and consultation.

During the session, the Council reviewed several legislative and religious issues. One of the major discussions centred on the proposed amendment bill concerning diyat (blood money). The CII opposed the suggested changes.

The meeting stressed that the traditional Shariah-prescribed standards — gold, silver, and camels — must remain intact. Members pointed out that the bill attempted to remove silver as a measure and proposed a non-Shariah amount of gold, which they did not accept.

Another point on the agenda was the use of insulin made with ingredients derived from pigs. The CII observed that since insulin prepared with halal ingredients was already available, there was no justification for using the variant made with pig derivatives. The members concluded that preference should always be given to halal alternatives when accessible.

The meeting expressed reservations on a Supreme Court's two-member bench verdict on September 11, which held that a woman divorced before consummation of marriage was entitled to iddat (waiting period) and nafaqah (maintenance), saying that such a ruling ran contrary to the Qur'an and Sunnah.