ISLAMABAD, (DNA) – A day after being passed by the National Assembly, the upper house of Parliament on Friday gave the nod to ‘The Election (Amendment) Elections Bill 2017’, seeking restoration of the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat (finality of Prophethood) clause to its original form.

The bill sought to incorporate and reaffirm the provisions of sections 7B and 7C of the Conduct of General Elections Order, 2002 through addition of a new section, 48A in the Election Act, 2017.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid said Qadiyani, Ahmadi or Lahori group will continue to be recognised as non-Muslims.

He said anyone could challenge the status of any person enrolled as Muslim in the voter list before the revising authority where the defendant will be required to sign the declaration of finality of Prophethood.

Failing to sign the declaration shall declare the defendant as non-Muslim and his vote will be expunged from the list for Muslim voters and be included in the non-Muslim list, he added.

On Thursday, after tabling the bill in the National Assembly, Hamid had rebutted allegations levelled against him, saying he was a true lover of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H). “My family and I are ready to sacrifice our lives for sanctity of Khatm-e-Nabuwwat,” he added.