Posted on 08/01/2005 6:17:53 PM PDT by blam
Musharraf moves to prevent 'Talibanisation' of lawless tribal areas
By Peter Foster, South Asia Correspondent
(Filed: 02/08/2005)
In a fresh attack on Islamic extremism, Pakistan's president, Gen Pervez Musharraf, has moved to overturn plans to introduce Taliban-style moral laws into the country's lawless tribal areas.
The general, who ordered the arrest of 600 suspected militants last month, is fighting the introduction of a strict Islamic Hasba (accountability) law in North West Frontier Province.
Gen Musharraf will confront the mullah-clerics of the Frontier Province
Critics say the law, passed by a majority of hard-line Islamists in the province's local assembly last month, will "Talibanise" the region.
Under its terms a government-appointed cleric, or mohtasib, will enforce the call to prayer five times daily, discourage dancing or singing and forbid unmarried men and women even to walk together in the same street. The text of the Bill says the mohtasib will "protect/watch the Islamic values and etiquettes" and ensure media publications "are useful to the purpose of upholding Islamic values".
Such powers echo those of the ruthless Department of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the agency responsible for "moral policing" during the days of the Taliban regime, which ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s. Gen Makhdoom Ali Khan, the government's lawyer, told Pakistan's supreme court in Islamabad: "This Bill is unconstitutional. It lays down the foundation of a parallel judicial system and it is in violation of fundamental rights of citizens under the constitution."
Western governments will be watching nervously to see whether Pakistan can rein in the mullah-clerics of North West Frontier Province who remain extremely sympathetic to the ideals and practices of the Taliban.
In the past 18 months 70,000 Pakistani troops have been engaged in almost daily skirmishes in the tribal areas in an attempt to curtail cross-border raids by Islamic militants against US forces in Afghanistan.
Since the formation of Pakistan in 1947, the unruly tribal areas have enjoyed a semi-autonomous status, something that Gen Musharraf is now challenging.
However the alliance of Islamic clerics (MMA) who swept to power in the province in 2002 argue that Hasba law, which was passed in a democratically elected assembly, reflects the "will of the people" and must be allowed to stand.
Already several clerics have made thinly veiled threats to bring "chaos" to the province if the central government in Islamabad ignores the "democratic will" and scotches the Bill in the supreme court.
However, analysts say the relatively poor showing at demonstrations ordered by clerics in the wake of the crackdown after the July 7 bombings in London may yet embolden the government to strangle the mullah-ocracy in the province at birth.
That is giving way too much credit to the PAK Army then it deserves - (while they have done some good work, and about as much as can be expected in general....they have certainly not been actively engaging on a daily basis...not even close).
Don't they need some new, glass-surfaced parking lots in Pakistan? I'm sure we could see our way to funding that. All we need are some bogus jihadists to place the crosshairs.
I think that Musharraf is more of an enemy than an ally.
"However, analysts say the relatively poor showing at demonstrations ordered by clerics in the wake of the crackdown after the July 7 bombings in London may yet embolden the government to strangle the mullah-ocracy in the province at birth."
I am not sure I want to give to much credence to that statement. Firstly, those tribal areas contain people of a totally different culture/mindset, many of them may not have the slightest idea as what happened in Britain. Secondly, they probably are not turning out in support of the clerics because they are afraid they are going to piss the federal govenrment off, and have Paki army troops invading their privacy. Thirdly, the local tribal leaders are probably scratching their heads more and more and asking just who's side is this president on. e.g. Pakistan or America.
"However the alliance of Islamic clerics (MMA) who swept to power in the province in 2002 argue that Hasba law, which was passed in a democratically elected assembly, reflects the "will of the people" and must be allowed to stand. "
The goal is not one man, one vote, one time. The goal is Freedom. And Islamic rule is its antithesis.
Pakistan is a mess. A nuclear one.
Pakistan is not all one thing, it's more like Yugoslavia. Afghanistan is much the same way. However, it would be nice if the gov't would impose *any* rule of law on the rural parts of Pakistan. Islamic "law" doesn't count.
Too freaking late!! He did nothing when Pak was helping establish the Taliban in Afghanistan, and he's probably helping to hide bin Ladin (may the fleas of a thousand camels move into his beard).
He's targeted by the hard liners already and he knows he can only do so much, which makes him little more than a puppet.
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