Over the past few days, Pakistanis have been treated to the spectacle of politicians struggling to recite Quranic verses and answer questions about Islamic law as part of the scrutiny of nomination papers for the next month's general election.
In footage aired on news channels, returning officers across the country were seen asking prospective candidates to recite specific Quranic verses from memory and to explain the method for offering the namaaz.
In one instance, a candidate from the Jamaat-e-Islami, a hardline religious party, struggled to recite a Quranic verse that is known to most Muslims. One candidate from a religious party in Sindh told the media that the returning officer had asked him if it was permitted to offer the namaaz after wearing perfume.
The candidate cheekily replied that it was permissible if the perfume contained no alcohol. The persistent focus on such issues made the scrutiny process seem like a ‘religious studies exam’, The Express Tribune said in a report.
In Lahore, candidate Tayyaba Sohail Cheema was told by provincial election commissioner Anwar Mehboob that she didn't look her age.
‘You don't seem to be 35, show your face to all around so that people can see that you seem much younger,’ Mehboob was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune.
In footage aired on news channels, returning officers across the country were seen asking prospective candidates to recite specific Quranic verses from memory and to explain the method for offering the namaaz.
In one instance, a candidate from the Jamaat-e-Islami, a hardline religious party, struggled to recite a Quranic verse that is known to most Muslims. One candidate from a religious party in Sindh told the media that the returning officer had asked him if it was permitted to offer the namaaz after wearing perfume.
The candidate cheekily replied that it was permissible if the perfume contained no alcohol. The persistent focus on such issues made the scrutiny process seem like a ‘religious studies exam’, The Express Tribune said in a report.
In Lahore, candidate Tayyaba Sohail Cheema was told by provincial election commissioner Anwar Mehboob that she didn't look her age.
‘You don't seem to be 35, show your face to all around so that people can see that you seem much younger,’ Mehboob was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune.