ISLAMABAD, Wednesday, September 24, 2025 (WNP): The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), in its 243rd meeting chaired by Chairman Allama Dr. Muhammad Raghib Hussain Naeemi, reviewed several key legislative, social, and religious issues, issuing a series of important recommendations and decisions on Wednesday.

The council rejected a proposed amendment to the Diyat law, reaffirming that the traditional Islamic standards of gold, silver, and camels should remain part of the legislation. It opposed the deletion of silver and the introduction of a non-Shariah compliant gold standard as suggested in the bill.

On the issue of insulin for sugar, the council ruled that since Halal-based insulin is available, the use of insulin containing pig derivatives should be avoided.

In light of blasphemy-related concerns, the council recommended that copies of the Holy Quran presented as evidence in court, if desecrated with impurities, must be immediately purified after testimony. It urged parliament to legislate in this regard.

Contrary to the impression that the council has given a final ruling on the issue of withholding tax, in today’s meeting only saw an initial discussion among a few members with differing opinions. The members emphasized the need to seek expert consultation before reaching any conclusion. It was therefore decided that the matter will undergo a comprehensive debate in the council’s upcoming session, with input from relevant experts. No formal decision was made on the issue in the current meeting.

The council also allowed for the establishment of human milk banks under strict conditions, provided appropriate legislation is enacted with the council’s involvement to prevent potential misuse.

Expressing reservations over a recent apex court ruling, the council opposed the decision that mandates ‘Iddat’ and financial support (Nafaqah) for a woman divorced without consummation of marriage, terming it contrary to the Quran and Sunnah.

On the request of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, the CII agreed to develop a special ringtone to remind citizens to show respect for banners, flags, and decorations bearing sacred inscriptions during the month of Rabi-ul-Awwal.

The council also examined a reference from the FIA Cyber Crime Wing regarding an FIR filed against controversial speaker Mirza Muhammad Ali Engineer under blasphemy laws. After extensive deliberation, the council concluded that several of his statements amounted to Tahreef (distortion) of the Quran and fell within the scope of blasphemy. It recommended that charges of contempt of Quran also be included in the case.

The council criticized the investigative correspondence from the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, noting that it appeared biased as it only contained material in favor of the accused while excluding evidence presented by the complainants.

The council further directed that Pakistan’s Christian leadership be formally consulted to clarify whether the remarks attributed to Mirza Ali Engineer reflected their faith. During the meeting, a voice message from Father J.M. Channan, a Christian cleric, was played, in which he strongly denied the statement and emphasized that no such belief exists in Christian scripture or doctrine.

The meeting was attended by several distinguished members, including Justice (R) Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry, Dr. Abdul Ghafour Rashid, Pir Khalid Sultan Qadri, Advocate Muhammad Jalaluddin, Hafiz Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, Malik Allah Bakhsh Kalyar, Justice (R) Altaf Ibrahim Qureshi, Pir Shams-ur-Rehman Mashhadi, Allama Yousuf Awan, Allama Syed Iftikhar Hussain Naqvi, Prof. Dr. Mufti Intikhab Ahmad, Allama Rana Shafiq Pasroori, Syed Saeed ul Hassan Shah, Hafiz Muhammad Amjad, Farida Raheem, and Barrister Syed Atiq ur Rehman Shah Bukhari.