Pakistan Enforces Harsh Penalties for Food and Drinks Violation During Ramadan
Controversy rages over the amendment of a Ramadan law in Pakistan that imposed tighter penalties on its penal clause. The holiest month in the Islamic calendar that is marked by fasting began last May 26 and will be observed until June 24. This is the first Ramadan that the stiff fines are imposed.
The "Respect for Ramadan" (Ehtram-e-Ramazan) law was introduced in Pakistan in 1981 by military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq. It prescribes punishments of up to three months in jail and a fine for people who drink or eat publicly based on the tenet of Islam obligating a Muslim to fast.
Citing the need to preserve the holiday's sanctity, the Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs approved earlier this month an Amendment Bill imposing 10-fold increases in the maximum fines for fasting violators alongside jail terms of up to three months.
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Individuals who eat and smoke in public are heavily fined with $4.75. For eateries that provide food between the fasting hours of 4:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., the fine is increased to $250. For hotels, the penalty is increased from $5 to $250. Movie houses will be penalized $5,000 for opening during fasting hours.
Senate Committee chairman Maulana Hamdullah defended their move as being reflective of Pakistan being an Islamic republic, as provided for in Article 2 of the Constitution which states that Islam shall be the state religion of the country. Those who wanted to eat or drink should do so inside their homes.
The law covers not just Muslims but other religious minorities as well who face the risk of being mobbed by vigilante groups. "They live in an Islamic country and must obey its rules," Zia Ahmed, a small trader in the southern city of Karachi said about minorities.
Shahzeb Siddiqui, a liberal Muslim in Karachi, finds the imposition to be hypocritical. "[W]hen these people go to Europe and the U.S., they insist on their rights. They protest against the veil ban in France, but they don't allow Christians in Pakistan to live freely," he said.
