* Report says amendments will not clash with Islamic teachings

By Mohammad Imran

ISLAMABAD: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on Tuesday agreed to amend the much-debated Hudood Ordinance in the light of a report prepared by the CII chairman, and incorporate it in the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Criminal Procedures Code (CrPC).

The decision to this effect was taken at the 161st CII meeting, which was presided over by CII Chairman Dr Muhammad Khalid Masud, says a press release. The CII legal committee, headed by Federal Shariat Court Chief Justice Haziqul Khairi, decided to redraft the Hudood laws after a complete review of the report, sources told Daily Times. The council chairman will
discuss the report with lawyers and religious scholars and prepare a draft of proposed amendments, sources added.

The CII report says that any proposed amendments to the Hudood Ordinance will not clash with Islamic teachings, as it has not been derived from the Quran or Hadith. It says that a thorough revision of the ordinance is necessary to make it more responsive to the philosophy of crime and punishment in the Quran and Sunnah as well as the modern judicial system.
The report says that the definition of Hudood in the ordinance has not been derived from the Quran or Sunnah, adding that it does not even agree with the definitions prescribed by jurists. It also says that the concept and usage of the term Hadd differs in definitions given by the ordinance and
jurists.

The report says that the categorisation of crimes as Hudood, Qisas and Ta¹azir has varied from time to time. It says that all Muslim countries have not enforced Faqhi Hudood laws. It also says that the Hudood Ordinance has failed to reduce the crime rate.