Lahore: In October 2021, the Punjab Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution seeking inclusion of oath of Khatme Nabuwwat in the Nikah (marriage) documents. The Speaker later explained that it was very important to include such affidavit because some cases had been reported in the past that after marriage the groom turned out to be a Qadiani; as such all doubts and suspicions should be removed before the marriage takes place. The daily Nawa-i-Waqt, October 27, 2021.
Now a notification has been issued by the Governor that “he is pleased to make relevant amendments in the West Pakistan Rules under the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1962, with immediate effect.”
We produce this Notification as Annex II to this report.
Para 4 of this Notification provides an Affidavit for the parties to prove their Islamic credentials. It contains the following sentence (Tr): “I consider Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani to be a Jhoota (false/liar/fabricator) Prophet.”
It may be asserted authoritatively that never in the past 14 centuries, anywhere else, a Muslim was identified formally by this affidavit or by the definition of Khatme Nabuwwat mentioned in it. It is an innovation. Also, it is bizarre, inappropriate, and unethical to uphold your religious identity by calling bad names to the holy personages of people of another belief or denomination.
The Ahmadiyya Community adheres to the principle of KN; however, it strongly condemns the abuse aimed at its founder in the said KN oath.
This affidavit will have to be signed by the bridegroom, the bride, the witnesses to the Nikah ceremony, the official who administers the Nikah and the registrar of the Nikah.
In addition, it is relevant to point out that through this affidavit the government has made it mandatory that the registrar of marriages would have to be a legal Muslim. It is obvious, that the registrar’s post is a clerical one, and one of any religious beliefs should be able to handle it. This reminds one of another Punjab Government order in the recent past that all teachers of Arabic language will have to be of Islamic faith.
On the issue date of this Notification, Mr. Pervaiz Elahi was the Speaker, Mr. Usman Buzdar the Chief Minister and Ch. Muhammad Sarwar the Governor of the Punjab.
Within two weeks, both the governor and the chief minister had lost their job while Mr. Elahi was not elected to his coveted post of the chief minister.
