Members of Islamabad Bar Association have been directed to declare their faith on the finality of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) or face the suspension of their membership, in a move that is drawing strong reactions from both lawyers and the general public.

According to The Express Tribune, the lawyers’ group has told its members to submit affidavits by the end of the ongoing month, failing which they would have their membership suspended and names posted on noticeboard.

The notification in this regard comes in view of the decision taken by the General Body on December 6, 2019, while the report has quoted Association President Malik Zafar Khokhar as saying that “the purpose of seeking affidavits was not the suspension of non-Muslim lawyers from the association, but to identify the members of the Ahmadi community”.

STRONG REACTIONS:

Meanwhile, lawyers, as well as the general public, are strongly reacting to the notification.

“Clearly Jinnah’s Pakistan remains a distant dream! His 11th August speech buried in heaps of paranoia, intolerance and bigotry,” tweeted Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, who is a member of the association.

Here’s what others had to say:

There has been no official reaction to the backlash.