- CII chairman says several members against withholding tax.
- Human milk banks can be established under certain conditions: CII.
- CII objects to recent amendments in diyat (blood money) law.
Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has yet to decide on withholding tax as per the Islamic law, its chief Allama Dr Muhammad Raghib Hussain Naeemi said on Wednesday.
His clarification came shortly after a press release by the CII declared withholding tax on money transfers and withdrawals to be against Sharia (Islamic law).
Talking to Geo News, the CII chairman said the note-taking staff misunderstood that withholding tax had been declared un-Islamic. He said that the CII would discuss matters related to the withholding tax in its next meeting.
“Several members of the council were against the withholding tax,” Dr Naeemi added.
He said: “They left the meeting when food was served and the staff thought that withholding tax was declared against Sharia.”
“Regarding today’s meeting of the CII, there was an impression that the council had formed a final opinion on the withholding tax, whereas in fact, a few members had an initial discussion on it, in which the members had different opinions. The members said that they would consult experts on this in the next meeting,” read a clarification issued by the CII.
It added: “Therefore, it was decided that in the upcoming meeting of the council, it should be discussed in detail and the opinions of the relevant experts should be sought. The council did not take any decision on the issue under discussion.”
It is pertinent to mention here that the FBR describes “withholding tax” as an advance payment of tax deducted at the time of economic activities specified under certain sections of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 and Sales Tax Act, 1990.
The CII meeting also discussed matters related to the establishment of human milk banks in the country.
Human milk storage facilities can be established under certain conditions, the CII said, adding that necessary legislation on the matter must come first to prevent evils.
Pakistan’s first Human Milk Bank and Early Childhood Centre was established at the Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology (SICHN) in Karachi in June last year.
The initiative, however, was suspended just weeks later after the issuance of a fatwa (Islamic decree). The SICHN spokesperson had said they would consult the Jamia Darul Uloom Karachi and the CII for further guidance over the operations of the human milk bank.
Meanwhile, the CII also opposed the amendments made to the diyat (blood money) law by the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice earlier this month.
The parliamentary committee increased the minimum value of diyat from 30,663 grammes to 45,000 grammes of silver on September 13.
The CII stated that diyat values such as gold, silver, and camel should have been part of the law.
The council also advised against the use of insulin containing pig-derived ingredients by diabetic patients, saying that halal (permissible) insulin was easily available in the markets.
The meeting also discussed the Supreme Court’s September 11 judgment about a woman’s right to maintenance.
