BBC News
December 11, 2021
I pay taxes in this country.I have taken an oath to protect the Constitution. But still our state treats us with leniency. If there was little space left for us in this country, it would be gone. This is according to 29-year-old lawyer Mahmood Iftikhar Zafar, who belongs to the Ahmadi community.On October 26,in the Punjab Assembly, the government and the opposition unanimously passed a resolution to include the column of prophethood in the marriage certificate. It should be noted that this resolution has not yet become law.
Talking about the proposed changes in the marriage certificate, Mahmood Iftikhar Zafar said that space was getting narrow for the Ahmadi community.
If there was any space left for the Ahmadi community, and we still have about 200,000 children left in this country, it will be gone now." There will be more.
What was said in the resolution passed by the Punjab Assembly?
According to the text of the resolution received by the BBC, “This House of the Punjab Assembly demands from the Punjab Government that NADRA should clarify the difference between Muslims and non-Muslims (Qadianis, Ahmadis, etc.). And in the form of affidavit mentioned in the passport form, the marriage certificate form proposed under Rule No. 8 and 10 of the rules framed under Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961 should also include the column of end of prophethood along with the following affidavit. ۔ '
It should be noted that in order to get a passport in Pakistan, one has to sign this affidavit due to the 1974 constitutional amendment in Pakistan under which Ahmadis were declared non-Muslims.
Resolutions passed by the Punjab Assembly
'Dodge is given at marriage'
"The proponents of the resolution include PML-Q member Punjab Assembly Khadija Umar, Basma Chaudhry and PML-N's Muhammad Ilyas Chinioti.
Speaking to the BBC, Punjab Assembly member Khadija Omar said that some members of the assembly were receiving complaints that Muslim families had been deceived into becoming Muslims by "Qadianis" at the time of marriage.
Speaking to BBC Urdu on the phone, Khadija Omar said, "Many people are getting married but they do not know that the one they are marrying belongs to the Qadiani community." "We want to make sure that no one is abused," he added.
According to Khadija Omar, Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi also delivered a speech in favor of the resolution in which he expressed concern over receiving such complaints.
'People make fake ID cards'
When Khadija Omar was asked if she had data on the number of people who had been tricked into identifying themselves at the time of marriage, she said, "No, we do not have any definitive data. There are a lot of people who have been victims of it.
When asked why it was necessary to include this column in the marriage certificate when such an oath is required before issuing a national identity card or passport, he said that people can also make false identity cards. ۔
When BBC Urdu contacted Inayatullah Lak, Director General of Parliamentary Affairs and Research, for the availability of a record of such complaints, he too expressed ignorance.
He said: No, there is no such record in my office. I don't know. "
How will the condition of extra column be applied in marriage certificate?
Member Punjab Assembly Ilyas Chinioti while talking to BBC Urdu said that this resolution is currently with the Punjab Chief Secretary from where it will be sent to the Punjab Cabinet for approval.
"The cabinet will have three months to ratify it and once approved, it will be implemented in a province with a population of 110 million."
Elias Chinioti added that a copy of the resolution has also been sent to inform the President and the Prime Minister. Elias Chinioti, speaking to BBC Urdu, also said that a similar resolution has been passed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.
But how will this resolution be made law? There is ambiguity on this question.
Speaking to BBC Urdu, Raza Ali, a lawyer from Lahore, said: There are. '
Raza Ali said that one way to implement this resolution could be to take separate affidavits from the bride, groom and witnesses that they believe in the belief in the end of prophethood.
Speaking to BBC Urdu, he added that this would create more 'bureaucratic' barriers to marriage registration.
'The far-reaching consequences of such decisions must be considered'
Amir Mahmood, an official of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Pakistan, while commenting on the resolution of additional column in the marriage certificate, said that although the marriage certificates of the Ahmadi community are separate, the legislators must be aware of the far-reaching consequences of tolerating such decisions in society. Should consider
Amir Mehmood said that the growing legislation in the name of religion is defining a certain aspect of the society. Our legislators must think about where they are taking society.
When asked if he thinks there is an increase in incidents where the Ahmadi community uses lies at weddings, he said: Usually both families investigate before marriage.
'Now we're used to it'
On the other hand, a woman belonging to the Ahmadi community, on condition of anonymity, told BBC Urdu that these marriage certificates have not been used in her community since 1974.
"Even so, the new rules will affect us. It is part of a series of state-sponsored hate campaigns against our community, and we are used to it. "
We have to be vigilant at all times, to take care of what we are saying or doing. It seems that the situation is not improving, it is just getting worse.
Mahmood Iftikhar Zafar, a 29-year-old lawyer, believes that the inclusion of a prophethood column in the marriage certificate would further alienate his community.
Mahmood Iftikhar Zafar says that when he was 18 years old and went to NADRA to get an identity card, that experience was very painful for me. For the first time I realized we were different. I felt we were being targeted personally. "
