Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed the Advocate General of Punjab (AGP) to discuss the implementation of a verdict from 2019 with stakeholders, for the penalization of those involved in publishing unauthentic copies of the Holy Quran.
The order came during the hearing of a petition filed by Hassan Muawyah who claimed that the Ahmadi community and other non-Muslims continue to publish and upload copies of the Quran with “distorted Arabic text and mutilated translation on the internet and Google Play Store only to mislead Muslims”.
He stated that he had filed several complaints with the Home Department and the police authorities for action to be taken against those responsible based on the 2019 judgment.
The LHC also summoned Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar during the hearing on Monday to explain the position of the provincial government in this regard, and the AGP informed the court that he is in Saudi Arabia for Umrah. The Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and other government officials were then presented in court in lieu of the CM.
Justice Shujaat Ali Khan adjourned the hearing until 30 November and directed the concerned authorities to submit a compliance report in the next hearing.
He had ordered the provincial government in 2019 to ensure that every copy of the Holy Quran is approved by the Quran Board before its publication and uploading onto the internet. The court had also directed the government and the Quran Board to monitor the publication of any religious material, and the Quran in particular, to cross-check it against its original text or authentic meaning and take appropriate action in case of discrepancies.
