ISLAMABAD: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on Wednesday allowed the establishment of human milk banks in Pakistan under strict conditions, ruling that the initiative is permissible in principle, but must be governed by clear legislation to prevent misuse and ensure compliance with the Islamic injunctions.
The decision came during the Council’s 243rd meeting in Islamabad, where members considered the request of the Sindh government for guidance after the country’s first human milk bank, set up in 2023 by the Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology (SICHN) in collaboration with UNICEF, was suspended following religious objections and public criticism.
The project had been launched to provide life-saving nutrition to premature and critically ill newborns, whose mothers were unable to breastfeed, but it quickly became controversial due to concerns over fosterage (raza’at) in Islamic law.
Announcing its decision, the CII said that milk banks are acceptable as long as they operate under a legal framework that ensures transparency and prevents social complications, particularly with regard to lineage and foster relations. The Council emphasised that it should be directly involved in drafting and vetting such laws to guarantee their conformity with Shariah.
The ruling has been welcomed by paediatric experts and health advocates. The Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology and its director, Prof Jamal Raza, hailed the decision as a breakthrough that would allow the resumption of the suspended project. He said the milk bank was launched to save newborn lives, not to create controversy, and the CII’s guidance would now help align the medical need with religious sensitivities.
The Pakistan Paediatric Association (PPA) and UNICEF also applauded the Council’s stance, saying it would pave the way for saving thousands of vulnerable infants who cannot be breastfed and for whom formula feeding is often unsafe, unaffordable, or unavailable.
Prof Raza said the suspension of the initiative had deprived critically ill children of a proven intervention that has saved countless lives in other Muslim countries. “This is a medical necessity for premature and critically ill babies. We welcome the CII’s guidance, which will allow us to move forward in a way that respects both medical needs and Islamic values,” he said.
UNICEF officials added that the Council’s position shows that Pakistan can strike a balance between religious principles and modern medical practices, ensuring infants get the best chance of survival.
The CII, chaired by Dr Raghib Hussain Naeemi, also deliberated on other issues during the meeting. It rejected proposed amendments to the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2025 relating to Diyat and called for legislation to ensure that only halal-based insulin is available for diabetes patients, stressing that pig-derived products must not be used when halal alternatives exist. The CII, in its meeting, issued several key rulings on legal, religious, and social matters, including taxation, judicial verdicts, and blasphemy cases.
In a statement released after the sitting, the Council initially declared the imposition of withholding tax on bank withdrawals and money transfers as contrary to Shariah. However, a corrigendum was later issued clarifying that the matter would be discussed in detail in the Council’s next session.
The CII also recommended legislation to ensure the sanctity of the Holy Quran, urging that copies of the scripture used during evidence recording must be cleansed of any impurity without delay.
During deliberations on judicial matters, the Council rejected a recent Supreme Court ruling delivered on Sept 11 by a two-member bench, which held that a divorced woman who had not entered into a physical relationship with her husband was still entitled to Nafaqa (maintenance) and Iddat expenses. The Council declared the judgment “against the Quran and Sunnah.”
On another sensitive issue, the Council, responding to a query from the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, concluded that Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza had committed blasphemy by repeatedly uttering derogatory statements without necessity. The CII recommended strict punitive measures under Section 295-C and suggested the inclusion of additional legal provisions to cover misinterpretation of Quranic references. The Council stated that such “Naqal-e-Kufr” is permissible only when resolving a religious matter, not for unnecessary repetition. It warned that misuse of blasphemous or derogatory sentences constitutes a grave sin.
The meeting also took notice of Mirza’s remarks against Christians, in which he cited their sacred texts in relation to the Holy Prophet (SAW). Christian leaders categorically rejected the claim, therefore, the CII termed it “Fasad on Earth”.