The federal government, along with the provincial governments of Punjab and Balochistan, formally submitted their responses to the Supreme Court on Wednesday regarding a constitutional petition that seeks legislation to make the teaching of the Holy Quran mandatory in educational institutions across the country, The News reported. The petition argues that incorporating Quranic education into the academic curriculum is essential to uphold religious and constitutional obligations.
A five-member constitutional bench of the Supreme Court, led by Justice Aminuddin Khan and including Justices Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Naeem Akhtar Afghan, Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, and Aamer Farooq, presided over the proceedings of the case. However, the governments of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) requested additional time to prepare and submit their official replies, indicating that they needed further deliberation before presenting their stance on the matter.
In its response, the Government of Punjab urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the petition, at least concerning its jurisdiction, as the province had already implemented relevant legislation. The government referenced The Punjab Compulsory Teaching of the Holy Quran Act, 2018, which mandates Quranic education in all educational institutions within Punjab. The provincial administration further clarified that subsequent amendments were introduced through The Amendment Act, 2021, which reinforced the requirement of teaching Naazrah Quran (Quranic recitation) to students from Grades I to V and the Translation of the Holy Quran to students from Grades VI to XII. This applies to both public and private schools in the province.
The Punjab government emphasized that through these legislative measures, it had already fulfilled its constitutional duty to ensure Quranic education in schools, making additional legislation at the federal level unnecessary. The court proceedings are expected to continue as the Supreme Court reviews the responses from various provinces and awaits submissions from Sindh and KP before making a final determination on the matter.
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