The Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs & Interfaith Harmony on Monday unanimously passed the Publication of the Holy Quran (Elimination of Printing and Recording Errors) (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
The bill will ensure the disposal of martyred/damaged Holy Pages and copies of the Holy Quran in a proper manner as well as stop the publication of the Holy Quran on sub-standard paper and establishment of Quran Board to supervise the work of error-free printing, publication, and recording of the Holy Quran including uploading the copies on the internet.
The Bill also disallows the printing of Arabic text of the Holy Quran on newspapers, flexes, cards, handbills, brochures, or any other such disposable forms, and allows only its translation to be printed in such forms where required.
The committee stressed that laws related to the sacredness of the Holy Quran should be strictly implemented. The committee also directed the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) to ensure the enforcement of laws.
The CII DG briefed the committee that all laws for the safety and sacredness of the Holy Quran and its verses are being implemented and have due punishment, penalty, and imprisonment. He also said that the Quran Board will be constituted after the Quran Board Act is drafted. DG CII said that the bill will become a guideline to amend laws at the provincial level.
The meeting was attended by Senators Anwar-Lal-Dean, Bahramand Khan Tangi, Molvi Faiz Muhammad, and Naseebullah Bazai. Senior officials from the Ministry, the CCI, and other attached departments were also in attendance.
