LAHORE: A representative meeting of the religious parties in the country held at Mansoora on Friday called upon the government to announce abolition on interest system thus ending their war against Allah Almighty, instead of fighting a case for interest in the courts.
The meeting deplored that the Federal Shariat Court was continuously delaying the case of abolition of interest. It said that the government circles were delaying the winding up of interest based economy and a switch over to the Islamic banking as required under the constitution. It said that the statement of the Chief Justice of the Federal Shariat Court had added to the confusion.
Secretary General, Mili Yakjehti Council, Liaqat Baloch, while briefing media after the meeting, called upon the Shariat Court Chief Justice to withdraw his remarks. He said that the FSC Chief Justice had proved to be a party and he should not sit at the bench hearing the matter.
Those attending the meeting included Mufti Khan Muhammad Qadri, Dr Aatif Waheed, Dr Muhammad Ameen, Mufti Syed Mehmood Farooqi, Mufti Khalilur Rahman Qadri, Maulana Muhammad Baqir, Abdul Haq Awan, Mujibur Rahman Inqilabi, Hafiz Muhammad Idrees, Asadullah Bhutto and others.
The meeting called upon the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to immediately present the case of the FSC Chief Justice before the Supreme Judicial Council for his remarks regarding interest. The Supreme Judicial Council should also consider ways and means for making the Federal Shariat Court an effective organization, it added.
The meeting was of the view that at a time when the case of interest was pending with the Federal Shariat Court, the remarks of the FSC Chief Justice against the Quranic teachings on this issue established that the FSC Chief Justice was no more competent to hold his high office. The FSC Chief Justice had become a part and should immediately resign, it demanded.
The religious parties also decided to launch a strong movement against interest system. Liaqat Baloch pointed out that the article 38 of the constitution made it obligatory for the state and the government to abolish the interest system as soon as possible. He said that during the framing of the 1973 constitution, a detailed debate had been held on behalf of the Federal Shariat Bench on the issue of interest and prominent Ulema and scholars had unanimously suggested abolition of interest. However, he said, that it was only due to the ill intentions of the rulers that this provision of the constitution was not implemented and the interest banking was getting strong.
He said that even in the west, there were protests against the interest system.
