Abdul Qawi is an Islamic cleric and controversial personality from

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. He joined the

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is a political party in Pakistan established in 1996 by cricketer and politician Imran Khan, who served as the country's prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The party is led by Gohar Ali Khan since late 2023. ...

(PTI) political party in 2013, but was later expelled from the party. He is a former president of religious affairs of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party in Punjab.

Controversy

Suspension from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

Mufti Qawi's basic membership was suspended and he was later expelled from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf due to the controversy surrounding the selfies he posed for with the late model

Qandeel Baloch Qandeel Baloch (; 1 March 1990 - 15 July 2016), birth name Fouzia Azeem (), was a Pakistani model, actress and feminist activist. She was the country's first social media celebrity. Azeem rose to prominence due to her videos on social networks ...

(1990–2016). Mufti Qawi's first encounter with Qandeel was through television where Qawi was invited as preacher to guide Qandeel in the Islamic way about her acts on social media. In same program, Qawi requested Qandeel Baloch for a meeting. After some time, Qandeel visited his house and met him personally. After this, Qandeel uploaded a video which was recorded in hotel room during their meeting, in which Qandeel was sitting very close to Qawi. She had an arm over his shoulder and revealed that he was smoking during

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

. After the video went viral, Qawi was criticized for his behavior, which eventually led to his ousting from his prominent position at PTI.

Suspension from Ruet-e-hilal committee

On 22 June 2016, Mufti Qawi was suspended from the

Ruet-e-Hilal Committee The Ruet-e-Hilal Committee () is the official body in Pakistan responsible for announcing the sighting of the new moon, which determines the Islamic calendar. Currently chaired by Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, the committee is supported by 150 obs ...

due to his aforementioned meeting with the late model Qandeel Baloch.

Nomination in model Qandeel Baloch’s murder case

Mufti Abdul Qawi's name has been nominated in social media activist and model Qandeel Baloch's murder case. His name was mentioned in the First information report (FIR) on application of Qandeel's father Azeem. but was later released. He was already being investigated by Multan police.

'Halal' alcohol controversy

In May on alcohol permissibility when he said that drink with less than 40% alcohol is halal. Mufti Naeem, A prominent cleric and ex-chief of Jamia Binoria Karachi, lashed out at Mufti Qawi, described him as a man with a notorious reputation and dismissed his views as not in line with the views of scholars of any other sect.

Harassment Allegations

In January 2021, Hareem Shah claimed that she and her cousin beat up Mufti Abdul Qawi over ‘dirty’, ‘vulgar’ conversation and for “physically harassing” them. The title of 'Mufti' was later withdrawn from Abdul Qawi after this incident by his uncle Maulana Abdul Wahid.

References

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf politicians People from Multan Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{Pakistan-bio-stub