KARACHI – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Haleem Adil Sheikh revealed that party changed name of its recently launched initiative from ‘Mission Noor’ to ‘Hukm-e-Azan’ amid concerns raised by religious scholars.
In video statement, Sheikh explained that the party was unaware of any controversy. However, a scholar pointed out that the name Mission Noor had problematic connotations. “I immediately shared this with the political committee, where Sahibzada Hamid Raza and other colleagues agreed. After confirmation from various scholars, it became clear that the name carried associations with Qadianism,” he said.
Sheikh said that there was never any objection to the call to prayer (Azaan) itself; the issue was solely with the campaign’s title. Due to limited time, he said he took the initiative to stop the use of the name before an official party announcement could be made.
اذانیں تو دی جانی تھیں اور ہم سب تیار بھی تھے۔ لیکن گزشتہ رات تک ہمیں اس بات کا علم نہیں تھا۔ ایک عالمِ دین نے بتایا کہ “مشن نور” ایک متنازعہ نام ہے۔ میں نے یہ بات فوراً پولیٹیکل کمیٹی میں شیئر کی جہاں صاحبزادہ حامد رضا صاحب اور دیگر ساتھیوں نے بھی اس کی تائید کی۔ صاحبزادہ صاحب… pic.twitter.com/QJMmsv76nC
— Haleem Adil Sheikh (@HaleemAdil) September 20, 2025
“Alhamdulillah, this morning we spoke to Senator Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, consulted with the leadership, and everyone agreed to rename it ‘Hukm-e-Azan.’
He confirmed that PTI’s official stance has now been released through Senator Qadri, Imran Khan’s focal person on religious affairs. “Earlier there was no formal party statement, but now there is: azans will be given under the name Hukm-e-Azaan,” he added.
Responding to criticism, Sheikh said he remained unfazed by propaganda against him. “My conscience is clear. I never objected to Azaan, and my objection was only to the name. Alhamdulillah, the issue has been resolved correctly. I thank those who understood my position, and I hope those who misunderstood now realize the truth.”
What is PTI’s ‘Mission Noor’? All you need to know about latest controversy?
