ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony on Monday unanimously passed the ‘The Publication of the Holy Quran (Elimination of Printing and Recording Errors) (Amendment) Bill, 2022’.

The bill will ensure the disposal of martyred/damaged holy pages and copies of the Holy Quran in a proper manner and to stop the publication of the Holy Quran on sub-standard paper, besides establishment of the Quran Board to supervise error-free printing, publication and recording of the Holy Quran, including uploading the copies on internet.

The bill also disallows the Arabic text of the Holy Quran shall not be printed on newspapers, flexes, cards, hand bills, brochures or any other such disposable forms, and only its translation shall be printed in such forms where required.

The committee stressed that laws related to sacredness of the Holy Quran should be strictly implemented. The committee also directed the Council of Islamic Ideology to ensure the enforcement of laws.

The DG CII briefed the committee that all laws for the safety and sacredness of the Holy Quran and its verses are being implemented and have due punishment, penalty and imprisonment. He also said that the Quran Board will be constituted after the Quran Board Act is drafted. DG CII said that the bill will become a guideline to amend laws at provincial level.

The meeting was attended by Senators, Anwar-Lal-Din, Bahramand Khan Tangi, Molvi Faiz Muhammad, Anwar Lal Dean, and Senator Naseebullah Bazai.

Senior officials from the ministry, the CCI, and other attached departments were also in attendance.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023