Share this story!            

Taliban set up illegal courts in FATA, NWFP

* TTP spokesman says courts delivering justice in accordance with Quran, Shariah
* Says courts not meant to challenge govt writ, only to deliver quick, inexpensive justice
* Authorities aware of illegal courts but no action has been taken so far

By Akhtar Amin

PESHAWAR: Taliban in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and several settled areas of the NWFP have setup illegal Qazi (Islamic) courts, and are asking locals to bring their cases and complaints in these courts rather than before the country’s courts.

“The FATA Taliban have setup Qazi courts in mosques. They have setup these courts in areas where they have complete control and have started delivering sentences under Islamic laws,” sources told Daily Times on Saturday.

In accordance: Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Maulvi Omar also confirmed the establishment of Taliban courts in the tribal agencies. “The Taliban courts have started delivering quick and inexpensive justice to tribesmen at their doorsteps,” he said, adding that all decision taken by the Taliban courts were in accordance with the holy Quran and Shariah law.

Not challenging: The spokesman said that the establishment of Qazi courts was not meant to challenge the writ of the government, and was intended to deliver quick justice to the people.

However, according to sources, the Taliban have been campaigning in the Tribal Areas and asking locals to submit their complaints in the Qazi courts rather than the country’s courts if they want “quick and easy” justice.

FATA lawyers Wali Khan Afridi and Taj Mahal Afridi told Daily Times that following the establishment of the Taliban courts, the ratio of cases in the court of the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) commissioner and the FCR Tribunal had reduced. Tribesmen were now submitting their cases in Taliban courts, they added.

Frustrated: According to sources, the Taliban courts have been setup in the Mohmand, Bajaur and Orakzai agencies. The local Taliban have also setup illegal Qazi courts in NWFP Assembly Speaker Kiramatullah Chagharmati’s constituency in Peshawar. The sources said that tribesmen were turning to these courts because they were frustrated with the colonial system of FCR law, under which cases were still pending after decades of deliberations. People have submitted hundreds of cases in the Taliban courts for quick justice, they added.

The sources claimed that the political administration of the tribal agencies and the federal government were aware of the illegal Qazi courts but had not taken any action against them.

They said that Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) chief Mangal Bagh had also setup his own court system in the Khyber Agency and was hearing peoples’ complaints under Islamic law.

According to reports, LI activists have picked up dozens of people running CD shops from Peshawar and have taken written statements that they would leave their ‘un-Islamic’ businesses.

Taliban court Qazi Mufti Hamza said that people from Mohmand Agency, Charsadda and Peshawar had started submitting their cases with his court, which he said were decided within a week, in accordance with Shariah law.

He said that he had received 467 cases in the first month, of which 200 had already been resolved. He said the Taliban force was implementing the decisions, adding that if any party were denied access to court decisions, he would face action from about 25,000 Taliban.

Home | National

Share this story!