CJP rejects Lal Masjid cleric’s plea seeking imposition of Sharia

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday rejected a plea filed by Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Aziz seeking the imposition of Sharia law in the country.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar heard the appeal in his chamber.

In February 2016, the SC registrar had rejected the legal petition filed by the Lal Masjid cleric. The CJP, after the hearing, rejected Aziz’s petition, thereby sustaining the objections raised by the SC office.

The cleric moved the constitutional petition through his counsel Tariq Asad under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan on December 10, 2015.

In the petition, he urged the SC to “direct federal and provincial governments to take steps as required under the Constitution in order to enable the Muslims to live their lives in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Quran”.

Further, the petition requested the top court to “direct the state under Article 25-A to provide free and compulsory education to all children between the ages of five and 16 years”.

A request was also included in the petition to direct President Mamnoon Hussain and the governors to present a report before the National Assembly and the provincial assemblies on the observance and implementation of the principles of policy.

The petition stated that Pakistan was founded on ideological basis rather than territorial grounds. “Islamic and moral values enshrined in the Objective Resolution represent the aspiration of the nation and offer moral and historical intuitions for understanding the constitution,” the applicant said.

Aziz further alleged that the country was being “Indianised and westernised” through electronic media. “The younger generation has been inspired into adopting modelling and acting, singing and dancing as careers,” he stated. He complained that “rights of women were being publicized as if men were usurping the rights in a male-dominated society.”

“All these evils are developing due to the negligence of the federal government and its institutions defying the provisions of the Constitution,” the petitioner concluded.

The CJP rejected the applicant’s petition.