Soumitra
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Pakistan tests candidates knowledge of Islam
ISLAMABAD: Over the past few days, Pakistanis have been treated to the spectacle of politicians struggling to recite Quranic verses and answer questions about Islamic law as part of the scrutiny of nomination papers for the next month's general election.
In footage aired on news channels, returning officers across the country were seen asking prospective candidates to recite specific Quranic verses from memory and to explain the method for offering the 'namaz'.
In one instance, a candidate from the Jamaat-e-Islami, a hardline religious party, struggled to recite a Quranic verse that is known to most Muslims. One candidate from a religious party in Sindh told the media that the returning officer had asked him if it was permitted to offer the namaz after wearing perfume.
The candidate cheekily replied that it was permissible if the perfume contained no alcohol. The persistent focus on such issues made the scrutiny process seem like a "religious studies exam", The Express Tribune said in a report.
In some cases, the questioning of candidates took a distinctly personal turn. In Lahore, candidate Tayyaba Sohail Cheema was told by provincial election commissioner Anwar Mehboob that she didn't look her age.
"You don't seem to be 35, show your face to all around so that people can see that you seem much younger," Mehboob was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune.
Shahid Sohail, the husband of another candidate, Sadia Sohail, was given a lesson on marital life by Mehboob. "When your wife will become (a parliamentarian or legislator), all the arrangements at your home will be ruined and no one will be there to attend to your children and they will be ruined," he said.
The officers have not spared even persons with powerful connections. Owais Muzaffar Tappi, a PPP candidate in Sindh and a close aide of President Asif Ali Zardari, was asked how many times Muslims have to pray every day. In a TV footage, Tappi looked visibly uncomfortable as he explained the method for offering pre-dawn prayers. In Karachi, Sunni Tehrik candidate Zahid Ahmad faced embarrassment when he could not give the full form of LLB or spell the words 'graduation'and 'superintendent'.
Pak tests candidates' knowledge of Islam - The Times of India
ISLAMABAD: Over the past few days, Pakistanis have been treated to the spectacle of politicians struggling to recite Quranic verses and answer questions about Islamic law as part of the scrutiny of nomination papers for the next month's general election.
In footage aired on news channels, returning officers across the country were seen asking prospective candidates to recite specific Quranic verses from memory and to explain the method for offering the 'namaz'.
In one instance, a candidate from the Jamaat-e-Islami, a hardline religious party, struggled to recite a Quranic verse that is known to most Muslims. One candidate from a religious party in Sindh told the media that the returning officer had asked him if it was permitted to offer the namaz after wearing perfume.
The candidate cheekily replied that it was permissible if the perfume contained no alcohol. The persistent focus on such issues made the scrutiny process seem like a "religious studies exam", The Express Tribune said in a report.
In some cases, the questioning of candidates took a distinctly personal turn. In Lahore, candidate Tayyaba Sohail Cheema was told by provincial election commissioner Anwar Mehboob that she didn't look her age.
"You don't seem to be 35, show your face to all around so that people can see that you seem much younger," Mehboob was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune.
Shahid Sohail, the husband of another candidate, Sadia Sohail, was given a lesson on marital life by Mehboob. "When your wife will become (a parliamentarian or legislator), all the arrangements at your home will be ruined and no one will be there to attend to your children and they will be ruined," he said.
The officers have not spared even persons with powerful connections. Owais Muzaffar Tappi, a PPP candidate in Sindh and a close aide of President Asif Ali Zardari, was asked how many times Muslims have to pray every day. In a TV footage, Tappi looked visibly uncomfortable as he explained the method for offering pre-dawn prayers. In Karachi, Sunni Tehrik candidate Zahid Ahmad faced embarrassment when he could not give the full form of LLB or spell the words 'graduation'and 'superintendent'.
Pak tests candidates' knowledge of Islam - The Times of India
But I don't invent news.....
