Amid a campaign against Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, the Supreme Court has clarified that a recent judgement that released a man accused of distributing a proscribed book has not called for any of Pakistan’s laws to be repealed.

In a press release issued on Thursday, the SC said that the accused in the case, named Mubarak Ahmad Sani, can only be tried and sentenced under the Pakistan Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1932.

The SC said that the offence calls for a maximum of six months imprisonment but the accused has already been in prison for a whole year so his release was ordered.

The statement said that it was completely wrong to suggest that the SC had disagreed with the definition of a Muslim udner the second amendment or called for sections penalising crimes against religion to be repealed.

The SC further said that Justice Qazi Faez Isa has tried to reference the Quran, the Hadith and the examples of the righteous caliphs to make sure laws are interpreted in line with Islamic teachings.

The statement added that if someone believes that a law or Islamic teaching has been wrongly interpreted in the decision, they reserved the right to appeal.

It added that judgements can be criticised but running organised campaigns against the judiciary and judges can damage the pillar that provides justice in the country.

During the hearing of the case, the chief justice had said that, “Sadly, in matters of religion, tempers flare up, and the Quranic mandate is forsaken.”