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Religious parties demand sharia in other NWFP areas after Malakand
 After the government's decision to introduce Nizam-e-Adl Regulations 2009 in Malakand Division, religious parties have started to make demands for implementation of Swat-like system in other districts of the province and tribal areas. NWFP government while announcing the Nizam-e-Adl Regulations 2009 had claimed that under the regulations the people of Malakand Division would get inexpensive and speedy justice in accordance with Sharia law as the Qazi courts would decide cases of criminal nature in four months and of civil nature in six months. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) deputy parliamentary leader in the NWFP Assembly Mufti Kifayatullah told Daily Times on Monday that the government should introduce Swat-like Nizam-e-Adl in other districts of the province as well so that the people could get speedy and inexpensive justice in accordance with Sharia. He said JUI-F supported the agreement between Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM) and Awami National Party (ANP)-led provincial government for peace and implementation of Nizam-e-Adl in Malakand, and demanded introduction of such-like Sharia laws in other districts of the province as well. Besides JUI-F, the internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Bajaur Agency have also announced that they would not return to the agency until the federal government imposed Swat-like regulations there to bring peace and establish Islamic system. On March 15, IDPs' representatives from Kacha Garhi camp 1 and 2, Jalozai Camp and Banazir Camp in a meeting had said that IDPs would not leave their camps until Swat-like regulations were imposed in the agency. JUI-Samiul Haq provincial leader and former NWFP Assembly deputy speaker Ikramullah Shahid told Daily Times that the government should implement Nizam-e-Adl Regulations in other districts of the province so that the people could get speedy and inexpensive justice. Renowned constitutional expert Qazi Mohammad Anwar told Daily Times that after implementation of Nizam-e-Adl Regulations 2009 in Malakand Division, people of other districts would also demand implementation of Nizam-e-Adl Regulations for quick dispensation of justice. He said in regular courts, cases took years to be decided while under the regulations, qazis were bound to dispose of criminal nature cases in four months and civil cases in six months. He further said that main relief to litigants in the regulations was execution of decree within two months that takes years in regular courts; and that was why people would force the government to implement these regulations in other districts of the province. Regarding demands for introduction of Nizam-e-Adl Regulations in other districts, NWFP Law Minister Barrister Arshad Abdullah told Daily Times that there were a lot of traditional and historical differences between the people of Malakand Division and of other districts of the province. He said that Swat was incorporated into NWFP in 1969. Before that, Wali-e-Swat (ruler of Swat) used to decide cases in accordance with traditions and Sharia. That was why, the people of the region were demanding settlement of their cases in accordance with Islamic laws. The law minister said that situation in other districts of the province was quite different and people of other districts would not accept Malakand-like Nizam-e-Adl. They were happy with the courts decisions made under Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). Posted by: Fred 2009-03-24 |
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