A request to include the Holy Quran into the curriculum in schools was denied by the Sindh High Court (SHC).
The appeal asked for the Holy Quran and its translation to be included as a subject within the curriculum made available to students from primary through college level, and the court deferred a judgement on that request.
The judiciary, the legislative, and the executive branch of government all have distinct roles that must be balanced according to the court’s ruling.
A curriculum change cannot be ordered by the court if fundamental rights are not violated.
The judgement states that as faith is a personal matter for each person, the court cannot become involved.
The Pakistani Constitution, it continues, guarantees both positive and negative rights.
When a state is required by negative rights to refrain from meddling in the private lives of its citizens. The right to exercise one’s citizenship is up to the individual.
The court points out that Article 20 of the Constitution ensures citizens’ right to practise their religion in private and forbids the government from interfering with that right.
Advocate Imtiaz Ali had previously proposed making Holy Quran instruction mandatory in Sindh province.
