LAHORE – The Punjab government promulgated the Punjab Sound Systems (Regulation) (Amendment) Ordinance on Thursday, allowing four external sound systems at the places of worship (mosques) in the province.
The ordinance – which apparently seems a bid to woo religious circles – has amended the Punjab Sound Systems Regulation Act, 2015 that was a part of a set of five laws the Punjab government had introduced to suppress extremism and terrorism as a part of the National Action Plan.
The Punjab Sound Systems Regulation Act, 2015 allowed only one loudspeaker in mosques (places of worship) besides regulating its usage and providing for punishment in case of violation.
The purpose of the Punjab Sound Systems (Regulation) Act 2015 law was “to prevent public nuisance and the voicing of utterances of controversial nature likely to cause public disorder, to regulate, control and prohibit the use of certain sound systems in the province in the interest of environment, public order, decency, and to guard against incitement to terrorism or the commission of any offence.”
The number of loudspeakers had been increased as the government accepted the plea that the number was irrelevant when it came to misusing it.
According to senior Punjab govt officials, the new ordinance would keep the check and balance in place, arguing that the advocates of increasing loudspeakers quoted Ahadith (the Holy Prophet PBUH’s sayings) that Azan should be called in all the four directions, which was not possible with one loudspeaker, Dawn News reported.
Another plea was that the restriction of just one loudspeaker at worship places was limited only to Punjab, which was a discrimination.
It is worth mentioning that the chief of Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan, Khadim Hussain Rizvi had claimed in November last year that the Punjab government agreed to much more than what was made public through a document revealed after the Faizabad operation.
‘Other demands had been met included making it easier to lodge blasphemy cases, and relaxation on use of loudspeakers in mosques’ Rizvi noted.
Let it be known that the governor had signed the ordinance and it is likely to be published today (Friday).
