Islam doesn’t allow illegal mosque extension: SC

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday observed that Islam did not allow an illegal extension in a mosque. The top court’s observation came during the hearing of Jamia Hafsa case. The court directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to submit a comprehensive report on a 20 Kanal plot allotted to Jamia Hafsa — a seminary for women — in Sector H-11.

A three-member bench of the court, headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, heard the case. During the course of hearing, Justice Gulzar asked on how much area was the Lal Masjid built and who owned its land. The deputy attorney general responded that Lal Masjid was built on the state land. On this, Justice Gulzar summoned the chairman CDA.

Chairman CDA Amir Ali Ahmed informed the court that the authority had allotted 9,533 yards of land in 1970 and 206 yards were allotted to Jamia Hafsa. He told the court that Maulana Abdullah was appointed as the mosque's muezzin, and he was succeeded by his son Maulana Abdul Aziz. Justice Gulzar remarked, “It means Maulana Abdul Aziz is a government employee.” Amir Ali Ahmed said Maulana Abdul Aziz was removed from the position in 2004 but he still controlled the mosque.

Justice Gulzar asked if the mosque was Maulana Aziz’s personal property. Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan also asked where was the federalgovernment’s writ that it could not even free up a mosque in the federal capital.

The parents of two children also appeared before the court and said their children had been missing since 2007. "We do not need buildings and lands, we only need our children. Even the Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav is allowed to meet his family but we are not allowed to meet our children," they parents complained. Taking action, the court took directed the deputy commissioner to submit a detailed report on the missing children and adjourned hearing for a month.