ISLAMABAD: Contrary to the general speculation, the PML-N probe committee under Senator Raja Zafarul Haq did not find Law Minister Zahid Hamid having drafted objectionable changes pertaining to Khatam-e-Nabuwwat in the Election Act 2017. Instead the committee in its report, recently submitted to PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, named another person for being “among those” who had prepared the draft at the parliamentary committee level. The report did not explain who were “among those” but named only one person for preparing the draft. The probe committee though suggested that “action must be taken against those responsible”, it did not explain whether there was any conspiracy involved or not. On the basis of Raja Zafarul Haq probe committee report further investigation would be required to ascertain if the highly objectionable changes were made by mistake or were the consequence of some conspiracy. The probe committee’s report was submitted to Nawaz Sharif when he was in London. PML-N sources said that initially Nawaz Sharif wanted to remove the person identified by the probe committee. But later it was decided to wait for some time as such an action may threaten the life and security of the person. As per the general perception and unconfirmed reports on social media, the law minister is alleged for having drafted the controversial changes. However, the probe committee report identified another person for being “one of those who had prepared the draft at the Committee level”. Informed sources while quoting the report said that the law minister had failed to timely pick up the serious change drafted and presented before the parliamentary committee. Before the probe committee, the law minister admitted the lapse on his part and said that it was his primary responsibility to see that the draft does not contain any thing controversial but he could not perform his duty despite his legal acumen, experience and command of language. According to an N-Leaguer, who is in knowledge of things pertaining to this controversy, the law minister is wrongly held responsible for drafting the controversial change. His failure was to pinpoint the controversial changes drafted and presented before the parliamentary committee. Raja Zafarul Haq also explained in the report that it was only after the Law Reform Bill (now Act) was sent by the Standing Committee on Law and Justice of the Senate to the House (Senate) that JUI-F Senator Hafiz Hamdullah objected to the change in the language of the solemn affirmation and he demanded that original affirmation should be retained. Raja Zafarul Haq said that he stood up in the House and supported the JUI-F Senator’s amendment. The report said that the law minister also said that he was not opposed to the amendment of Hafiz Hamdullah. Raja Zafarul Haq added in the report that the PML-N supported the Hamdullah amendment in the Senate. The report admitted, "after the passage of the bill from the Senate and by the time the Election Bill was being tabled in the National Assembly, a general realization dawned upon the members from all the parties that they had committed a wrong and that it has to be corrected but due to a rumpus created by the opposition regarding section 203, the bill was passed as amended…..” The probe committee was headed by Senator Raja Zafarullah Haq while its members were Senator Mushahidullah Khan and Ahsan Iqbal. The report, however, was signed by the former two as Ahsan Iqbal was not in the town to participate in the probe proceedings. The report also contains Maulana Fazalur Rehman’s statement that “basically we (parliamentarians) are collectively responsible for not doing our duty during the debate on the affidavits”.
