Question:

Jama’at-e-Islami greatly emphasizes the application of articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution, whereas, the conditions laid down in these articles seems to be very hard to prove in a case before the court. How Jama’at proposes these articles be implemented?

Answer:

The Council of Islamic Ideology (C.I.I) and the Federal Shariah Court (FSC) have each suggested a methodology for this purpose. The procedure proposed by the FSC is a continuous process, that whosoever wishes to contest elections must indicate his/her intentions a year earlier. During this period he or she will pass the public and court scrutiny. Presently there is no mechanism in vogue to test a person against the conditions of the said articles. The FSC's proposals were also not seriously taken. The elementary knowledge of Islam can be judged through the recitation of verses in the daily prayers. In certain cases, the courts did not even ask a candidate to recite these verses. One person (reportedly) did not know "Qunut". He took pains to "memorize" before appearing in the court, but there he was granted exemption. Briefly, the FSC's suggestion and the constitutional articles themselves were never taken seriously.