Supreme Court Hears Petition on Making Quranic Education Mandatory, Delays Decision

During the hearing of a petition seeking the mandatory teaching of the Quran in schools, the federal, Punjab, and Balochistan governments submitted their responses, while the Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments requested additional time to submit theirs.

Justice Jamal Mandokhel remarked that, according to the responses, the federal government had already started taking steps to implement Quranic education. He questioned why the court needed to intervene if the government was already working on the matter.

The petitioner, however, expressed frustration, stating that if the governments had been doing their job, he wouldn’t have been forced to approach the courts for the past five years. Justice Mandokhel responded by explaining that just as children are taught their mother tongue and then English, similarly, Quranic education should also be prioritized.

The five-member constitutional bench, led by Justice Aminuddin, adjourned the hearing indefinitely, pending further submissions from the Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments.