Clerics ban canvassing by women in Kohistan

MANSEHRA: A 30-member group of clerics, most of them from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF), on Friday unanimously adopted decrees and banned canvassing by women for the February 8 general elections.

“Taking women door-to-door for seeking votes is against the Islamic injunctions and Shariah,” Mufti Gul Shahzada of Kandia told a gathering arranged at the JUIF central office in the Kamila town in the Upper Kohistan district.

Around 400 clerics from different parts of Kohistan attended the gathering and endorsed Mufti Gul Shahzada as he spelled out six decrees, all related to upcoming elections, in front of them.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed two women aspirants, including Tehmina Faheem from PK-31 Kohistan-I and former lawmaker Momina Basit, and an independent Sanaya Sabeel from PK-33 Kolai-Palas are vying for the February 8 general elections for the first time in the district’s history.

Mufti Gul Shahzada told the gathering that all decrees had been issued in the light of the current situation. He said these were based on the Islamic injunctions with references taken from different religious books.

“If anybody votes against Islamic ideology, it means he is testifying to an untrue and biased statement, which is a grave sin and also against Islamic Shariah,” he added.

The clerics warned that taking the Holy Quran to compel people to vote was a sacrilegious act and should never be exercised.

“Those casting votes on the linguistic, regional and clan grounds are also negating Islamic teachings and no such exercise should be carried out in this district,” Mufti Gul Shahzada added.

When approached, the women contestants in Kohistan in the February 8 general elections said they would give their point of view after consulting their parties.