Shariat appellate bench issues notices in quota system case

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) -  The Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday adjourned the hearing of an appeal challenging the declaration of the quota system as un-Islamic, issuing notices to the relevant parties until next month.

A five-member bench headed by Justice Jamal Mandokhail took up the case for hearing.

During proceedings, the court asked the Additional Attorney General whether the quota system is in accordance with Islamic principles. In response, the Additional Attorney General clarified that details of the quota system are laid out in Article 27 of the Constitution and that the authority to legislate on the matter rests with Parliament.

Justice Jamal Mandokhail observed that the quota system had originally expired after a period of 40 years.

The Additional Attorney General informed the bench that legislation had been enacted to extend the duration of the quota system.

Meanwhile, Justice Irfan Saadat remarked that the quota system exists in proportion to the population of the provinces.

The Additional Attorney General confirmed that it is indeed implemented according to the population ratio of each province.

At this point, Justice Jamal Mandokhail questioned whether that would imply increasing the share of provinces with smaller populations.

Following these remarks, the court adjourned the hearing until the first week of April.