ISLAMABAD – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday announced itsjudgement in a case pertaining to the amendments made to theKhatm-e-Nabuwwat oath in the Elections Act 2017.

In its short verdict, the IHC judge Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui statedthat the parliament should take concrete steps to ensure protection ofKhatm-e-Nabuwwat faith.

Khatm-e-Nabuwwat is the base of our religion and it is the duty of everyMuslim to protect this belief, the court added.

The court stated that an oath concerning the identity of Muslims andnon-Muslims must be taken for the provision of national identity cards,birth certificates, electoral lists and passports.

The court also ordered all applicants for public offices declare theirbeliefs on oath to be eligible.

The numbers of people hiding their identity in census and NADRA documentswas alarming.

The court ordered National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) toset a deadline by which citizens could ‘correct’ the religion specified ontheir documents.

The detailed verdict of the case will be released later.