Islamabad: A press conference was held on January 5, 2023 by Rana Sanaullah the Interior Minister, Mufti Abdul Shakoor the Religious Affairs Minister and Mr. Hanif Abbasi a PML (N) leader, wherein the leading issue was publication of the Holy Quran. This had a background.
Mr. Hassan Muawiyah of Khatme Nabuwwat Lawyers Forum had placed a writ in Lahore High Court (LHC) that the 17-point verdict of Justice Shujaat Ali Khan regarding the Holy Quran is not being implemented and Jamaat Ahmadiyya continues to publish the Holy Quran (not true: Editor). This case is being heard by Justice Shujaat Ali Khan; he required the presence of the principal secretaries of the prime minister and the chief minister. Dr. Tauqir the Principal Secretary to the PM told the court that the PM had been briefed of the court verdict and he had decided to discuss it in a cabinet meeting. “A Secretaries Committee had been formed on this issue, we’ll submit the action plan in the court, the PM has told us to convey to the court that to do all this is our duty,” he said.
In the presser the Interior Minister said that it has been decided that the Ministry of Religious Affairs, after preparing a standard version of the Holy Quran in original and its translation will present it to provincial Quran Boards. This version will be unanimous, authentic and better in all respects. This will then be forwarded to all districts and Tehsils. The provincial governments and the federal ministry of religious affairs will ensure that this standard version would be beyond doubt and controversy. If anyone obstructs this, he will face disciplinary action.
The minister added that some elements, persisting in their error, indulge in wrong translation of the Holy Quran. Some of them are misguided. The Cyber Crime Wing of FIA and PTA have been directed to work as coordinated by the federal Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Mufti Abdul Shakoor was more forthright in pointing the finger at Ahmadis. He said that those who indulge in this insolence (gustakhi) deserve to be punished. It is our duty to implement this court order. We warn those who act irresponsibly on social media to desist from their practice. Their conduct is extremely disgusting (ghanaone) and we warn those who were guilty of this lapse. These people who indulged in this, and the court verdict went against them, those in Chenab Nagar who committed this excess, Qadianis or anyone else, those held responsible by the court, must be punished by the governments. We request provincial governments to take this seriously, the Mufti elaborated.
Rana Sanaullah added that translation and commentary are different (categories), unanimously agreed (muttafiqah) translations are available (maujud hein). Mufti Shakoor, in reply to a query replied that the (standard) translation has been done already, all agree with it. At this, Rana Sanaullah intervened and said that it is not appropriate to discuss this issue in the open, great scholars of different schools got together and agreed upon one translation, this is available — it will be sent to Quran Boards of all provinces; they will go through it and endorse it. Once endorsed, there will be no objection to it. Thus unanimous translation will be distributed all over. At one location, a police case has been registered for incorrect translation (at Rabwah: Editor) and they have been apprehended, so that no such activity is undertaken in future, and if done it would be overturned completely.
Other issues of political nature were discussed in the presser subsequently.
Our footnote: More than a century ago, a renowned non-Ahmadi scholar and journalist Muhammad Aslam visited Qadian, the Ahmadiyya headquarters town in India, and described his impression in writing as follows (extract): “The true love for the Holy Quran that I noted in this Jamaat (Ahmadis), I’ve not seen anywhere else. I found the Quran all over the Ahmadi Qadian (Quran hee Quran nazar aya).” The weekly Badr; March 13, 1913
