The City Council on Wednesday denounced a controversial amendment to provisions regarding "Khatm-e-Naboowat" in Election Bill 2017 which the National Assembly first adopted and then reversed. The resolution, tabled by the leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami in the Council, Junaid Mukati, and adopted by unanimous vote, said: "This house strongly condemns an attempt and an amendment to the Khatme Naboowat provision."
It said that the rulers shout stop triggering discontent among Muslims over the blasphemy law. It also asked the federal government to probe into a failed attempt to change the law and to ascertain who the masterminds were behind the change. The council asked the federal government to probe the matter thoroughly and fix responsibility on those found guilty, who should be punished to death for profanity.
It expressed concern over the unrest triggered across the country by the controversial legislation, which left the nation in a state of uncertainty over the blasphemy law, and hurt people's sentiments. Mukati went on to say that Muslims' sentiments are being provoked across the world by targeting their beliefs through various malicious tactics-publishing blasphemous cartoons, banning Hijab, and bringing controversial amendments to laws. All this must be stopped now, he said.
Mukati urged the Supreme Court to ensure justice by sentencing culprits of blasphemy to death in accordance with the Constitution of the country. "If judiciary can't be derogated, then we as Muslims can't accept any attempt to challenge the Khatm-e-Naboowat. Not a single culprit of blasphemy has been executed in the history of Pakistan: he said. "Why," he questioned.
Karachi mayor Waseem Akhtar presided over the session. Meanwhile, Aman Afreedi the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in the house, challenged Junaid Mukati's speech in which he alleged the PML-N leadership for the controversial amendment.
"As Muslims, we all have a firm belief in Khatm-e-Naboowat, but [we] don't allow anyone to flare up controversy on it." Aman held former Karachi Nazim Nimatullah Khan, who also belongs to the Jamaat-e-Islami, for the religious sentiments to be provoked through his speeches, which ignited rampage in Karachi. He urged the the Supreme Court to take punitive measures against the former Nazim.
At this, Junaid Mukati stood from his seat to counter the allegations of Aman Afreedi. However, the mayor and other council members immediately intervened and advised the two to stop a blame game, especially by bringing up old issues.
Sahib Khan Jiskani, deputy leader of the Pakistan People's Party in the City Council, held officials of the federal law ministry responsible for the controversial amendment to the Election Bill 2017. Officials in the Law Ministry should have gone through each word of the draft bill before presenting it to the floor of the National Assembly for approval.
The change to provisions regarding Khatm-e-Naboowat "was not a 'clerical error' but a deliberate attempt to please foreign masters," he said, without mentioning any names. "The amendment jolted the entire country. Islamabad and Karachi were paralyzed. Besides, the national economy suffered billions of rupees' loss due to the countrywide to protests," he said.
Another Council member, Mairaj Shah Jilani, said that Raja Zafar-ul-Haq's Committee Report should be made public and judicial enquiry should be conducted in this very sensitive matter, so that the persons responsible could be identified and punished. Another resolution was about the transfer of posts of officers and other staff from different departments of the KMC to the EC&CS, City Warden and MUCT departments and their inclusion in the schedule of establishment of these departments was also passed with majority vote.
The council approved another resolution seeking a 20 percent annual hike in rent of KMC's shops, offices, stalls, godowns, markets, shopping centers. The council also fixed a minimum Rs 500 rent of the aforementioned properties. The move Mayor said would help enhance the revenue of civic body. The Council approved a resolution regarding allocation of imprest account for E-Communication and Coordination Section of the KMC with a unanimous vote.