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| India-Pakistan | |
| MMA-Islamabad preparing to slug it out? | |
| 2003-06-06 | |
THE ADOPTION OF THE CONSERVATIVE Shariah bill by the MMA-led Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) Assembly June 2 has sent alarm bells ringing among the diplomatic and donor communities, even though most expected the move. Islamabad has moved quickly to allay the fears of the international community by sending a strong signal to Peshawar that it is treading a slippery slope. A senior diplomat told TFT the June 2 high-level meeting chaired by General Pervez Musharraf â which removed the NWFP chief secretary and inspector general of police in the aftermath of the clericsâ jihad against billboards that displayed female images â was meant to signal to the international community that the federal government was cognizant of the developments in the NWFP and would do everything to put the brakes on MMAâs so-called Islamisation drive.
One could almost say that the Taliban was an Afghan offshoot of the JUI. Diplomats across the board think the MMA government is carrying on with the legacy of the Taliban, a literalist, tribal and highly retrogressive exegesis of Islam. From what has happened so far and what is in the pipeline, this contention seems spot-on. The Hisbah Bill is also unconstitutional in that it seeks to create parallel judicial and police systems. There have been acts of vandalism in the name of Islam, the MMA government wants all women veiled, school-going children have to wear shalwar-kameez, male coaches cannot train women athletes, music has to be banned and so on. Indeed, most diplomats would like to see the back of the MMA government. At least one expressed his delight over the option of Governorâs Rule if things do not improve. âThe talk of âconstitutional measuresâ if administrative changes fail to improve the situation makes sense. It will be in Pakistanâs greatest interest to fight the menace of Talibanisation. The Taliban had antagonized the world by making and implementing paranoiac and anti-women policies. That became the reason for their rout. The MMA is also following in their footsteps, and if it did not change its future direction soon, it will meet the same fate,â he says. Insiders are of the view that the establishment has had enough of MMAâs shenanigans and plans to put the brakes on the alliance. âReplacing the NWFP chief secretary and the police chief is the first step in that direction; it could be followed by the imposition of Governorâs Rule,â says a source. For its part, MMA leaders have vowed to resist Islamabadâs intervention, labeling the possible move as âun-Islamicâ. âWe will fight Islamabad with our blood!â warned Maulana Shah Abdul Aziz. The battle-lines seems drawn on both sides. | |
| Posted by:Paul Moloney |
| #3 Governor's rule meaning that the NWFP will be ruled directly from Islamabad rather than by the MMA run state government. |
| Posted by: Paul Moloney 2003-06-06 09:24:21 |
| #2 "Governorâs Rule"? Someone explain,please? |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-06-06 08:01:04 |
| #1 Aaah, troubles in (islamic) paradise... I've read that the programmed upgrade of the indian armory was decided because India had worries about a possible breakdown of Pakistan in the next decade or so. Yugoslavia redux in the (very) early stages, or political infighting as usual ? |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-06-06 06:19:55 |