Incumbent parliament not to allow any change in clause about Finality of Prophethood: Zahid

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid Tuesday strongly rejected a claim from opposition parties that a clause about finality of Prophethood (Khatm-e-Nabuwat) was removed through the Elections Bill 2017.

Speaking on a point of order in the National Assembly, the minister said,"We cannot even think of bringing any amendment in the clause pertaining to the Finality of Prophethood. How one can blame an ideological party for bringing such an amendment."

He read out the clauses from old and new bills, which were completely identical. The clauses say: "I believe in the absolute and unqualified Finality of the Prophethood of Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him), the last of the prophets and that I am not follower of anyone who claims to be a prophet in any sense of the world or of any description whatsoever after Prophet Muhammad ( Peace Be Upon Him), and I do not recognize such a claimant to the prophet or a religious reformer nor do I belong to the Qadiani group or the Lahori group or call myself an Ahmadi."

"Both are the same, I do not know, what was the agenda of the people spreading such baseless news," he said.

Regarding uproar in the house last day by the opposition parties on Clause 203 restricting a disqualified person to lead any political party, the minister said that it was agreed in a meeting in 2014 to remove amendments incorporated in Political Parties Order 2000 to block the democratic path for Benazir Bhutto and Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.

He said minutes of the meeting showed that the opposition supported the government on the clause.

"It is totally insane to say that the Elections Bill, 2017 has been passed in a hurry. Members of the all parties objecting on

it were given representation in the relevant committee," he added.

He said the Election bill 2017 was also placed on the websites of Election Commission of Pakistan and Law and Justice.

Some 631 proposals were received from various political parties and citizens and none was against Clause 203, he added.

The electoral reforms bill, he said, had been finalized after 118 meetings, 25 of the main parliamentary committee and 93 of its

sub-committee headed by Law Minister Zahid Hamid.

"No one had raised any objection on it and now accusing us means the question mark on the political wisdom of opposition parties," he added.