The Hasba Bill allows the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal government in the NWFP to put in place a powerful network that will aid the religious parties’ alliance in future elections, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan warned in a press release on Tuesday. The HRCP believes the bill “has nothing to do with Islam”, and “amounts to a clever manoeuvre to create grassroots networks of mullahs” that could help the MMA win future elections in the NWFP.“The network of mohtasibs (ombudsmen), to be set up from the tehsil to the provincial level, will create a strong foundation upon which the MMA can confidently base its future political success. The conditions laid down for mohtasibs, who will have a ‘Hasba’ force to back them, states that only persons holding certification from a institute of religious learning can hold the office. This means that women and non-Muslim citizens are excluded,” it stated.
The bill also states that one of the purposes behind it is to eliminate ‘un-Islamic practices’. “This raises fears as to precisely what activities may be defined as such by the mullahs, whose powers will expand under the law. It must also be noted that while the current bill simply puts a mechanism in place, the provisions can in the future be expanded to cover many spheres of life,” the commission said.