ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi Friday appointed 12-member Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) with the reappointment of Dr Qibla Ayaz as its Chairman. Apart from the chairman, the other 11 newly appointed CII members are; Dr Umair Mehmood Siddiqui, Pir Abul Hassan Muhammad Shah, Muhammad Hassan Haseeb-ur-Rehman, Maulana Hamid-ul-Haq Haqqani, Allama Muhammad Hussain Akbar, Syed Ziaullah Shah Bukhari, Pirzada Junaid Ameen, Mufti Muhammad Zubair, Syed Muhammad Habib Irfani, Maulana Naseem Ali Shah and Tahir Ashrafi.
These appointments have been made for a period of three years in accordance with Article 228 of the Constitution of Pakistan.
The previous CII met its constitutional term in November last year following which the body remained dysfunctional for over five months before its reconstitution by President Alvi.
Ayaz, the newly appointed CII chief, also previously served as the Islamic body’s Chairman from November 2017 to November 2020.
According to federal government, the CII “is a constitutional body that advises the legislature whether or not a certain law is repugnant to Islam— Quran and Sunnah.”
The modalities of its formation are laid down in Article 228 which reads, “(2) The Islamic Council shall consist of such members, being not less than eight and not more than twenty, as the President may appoint from amongst persons having knowledge of the principles and philosophy of Islam as enunciated in the Holy Quran and Sunnah, or understanding of the economic, political, legal or administrative problems of Pakistan.
(3) While appointing members of the Islamic Council the President shall ensure that:
(a) so far as practicable various schools of thought are represented in the Council;
(b) not less than two of the members are persons each of whom is, or has been, a Judge of the Supreme Court or of a High Court;
(c) not less than four of the members are persons each of whom has been engaged, for a period of not less than fifteen years, in Islamic research or instruction; and (d) at least one member is a woman.
(4) The President shall appoint one of the members of the Islamic Council to be the Chairman thereof.
(5) Subject to clause (6) a member of the Islamic Council shall hold office for a period of three years.
(6) A member may, by writing under his hand addressed to the President, resign his office or may be removed by the President upon the passing of a resolution for his removal by a majority of the total membership of the Islamic Council.”
Meanwhile, President Alvi approved the appointment of Dr Arshad Mujeeb Mirza as Dean, Faculty of Natural Sciences, at Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) Islamabad. Alvi granted this approval in his official capacity as QAU’s Chancellor.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021