Assembly can legislate but not against Quran, Sunnah: FSC

ISLAMABAD: Federal Shariah Court (FSC), while hearing petitions filed for abolition of interest-based system, observed on Monday that parliament had the right to legislate, but it could not go against the Quran and Sunnah.

A four-member FSC bench, led by Chief Justice Riaz Ahmed Khan, and comprising Justice Dr Fida Muhammad Khan, Justice Najamul Hasan and Justice Zahoor Ahmed Sherwani, heard the cases.

During the case hearing, the FSC CJ remarked that the word economy was very vast in its connotations, saying that arguments could not be termed positive or negative unless the word munafa (interest) was explained.

The court directed the parties concerned to complete their arguments on the next hearing regarding the powers of the court as to whether it could hear the cases. When the court started the proceedings, the counsel for Jamaat-e-Islami Qaiser Imam argued that the court had the powers to hear the case and the law would be reviewed during the hearing, and abolition of any law did not affect the constitution.

The court asked the JI counsel that word Riba had been used in all the petitions, filed by the petitioner and the word interest had not been used anywhere, saying that this aspect should also be looked into. The court adjourned the hearing till next Monday.