ISLAMABAD, November 14: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday ordered to reverse in the Elections Act 2017 all amendments in sections pertaining to the Khatm-i-Nabuwwat oath. The court has suspended the clause 241 of the Elections Act 2017 till the next hearing of the case. However the amendment regarding the party presidentship of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif in Elections Act 2017 has not been suspended by the court. IHC Justice Shaukat Aziz
Siddiqui was hearing a petition submitted by Tehreek-i-Almi Majlis Khatm-i-Nabuwwat supporter Maulana Allah Wasaya against a controversial amendment to the Khatm-i-Nabuwwat oath in the law – which had earlier been deemed a ‘clerical error’ and subsequently rectified.
Maulana Allah Wasaya in his petition called for all changes to sections pertaining to the Khatm-i-Nabuwwat oath to be reversed, and for strict action to be taken against those who had a hand in the error.
The deputy attorney general opposed the move, warning that as election time was nearly here, further changes to the act would cause chaos.
Wasaya also asked the government setup a database of government employees belonging to the Ahmadi faith.
Justice Siddiqui subsequently ordered the changes to the oath be reversed as the Khatm-i-Nabuwwat issue could not be ignored, and asked for the report compiled by a PML-N committee probing the issue to be submitted to court.
The judge also asked the federal government to submit a reply regarding the request for a database within 14 days.-Sabah
