Finality of Prophethood oath: IHC orders to release Raja Zafarul Haq committee report

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) ruled on Wednesday to release the Raja Zafarul Haq committee report pertaining to the change in the Finality of Prophethood oath last year.

IHC Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, who has been hearing the case since last year, issued a 172-page judgment today after having reserved the verdict in March this year.

The case pertains to the changes in the oath that lawmakers take regarding the Finality of Prophethood. The wording of the oath was 'mistakenly' altered, and then corrected, when the Elections Act 2017 was passed last year.

Key findings of the probe committee report have been made part of the IHC judgment.

The government had earlier submitted to the IHC the report of the three-member committee probing changes in the oath but it was kept confidential from the public.

The committee, headed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chairman Haq, was formed to fix responsibility for the changes in the oath. Besides Haq, it included former ministers Ahsan Iqbal and Mushahidullah Khan.

IHC reserves decision in Elections Act 2017 case, to announce verdict on March 9

Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui was hearing case of controversial amendment related to Finality of Prophethood oath for lawmakers

Late last year, a religious party staged a sit-in for around three weeks against the amendment and ended its protest after an agreement was reached with the government, which included the resignation of Law Minister Zahid Hamid.

During the protest, Justice Siddiqui had started proceedings over the issue of the controversial amendment as well as the agreement reached between the two sides, questioning the role of the army in arbitrating the agreement.