Bill a religious martial law, say minorities

ISLAMABAD: Hasba Bill is unconstitutional, undemocratic, irrelevant, inhumane and religious marshal law, said Shahbaz Bhatti, All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) chairman, in a statement issued on Sunday. He said the Hisba Bill was a conspiracy against the country’s integrity and was ‘Talibinisation’ of the province. He said the bill denied basic human rights to minorities and women and held back religious freedom in the province. The bill violated the Constitution, he said, adding that after the enactment of the law, the current Constitution would “cease to exist” in NWFP. He said the province would descend into anarchy with a totally confused judicial system. Hisba Act was inconsistent with the common law in the country, he said. Despite opposition from various sections of society, he said the NWFP government was determined to enact the bill ignoring the objections and suggestions by the Islamic Ideological Council. He said, “Under Section 23 of the proposed law, the Mohtasib would have powers and jurisdiction over people that meant a parallel judiciary with executive powers and a special Hisba force at its disposal. This violates Articles 13 and 175 of the Constitution.” He said the bill was “a hanging sword for religious minorities and women”, as they would become the prime target and added that the bill would promote religious fanatics and extremists in Pakistan. The bill was against the ideology and thoughts of the founding father of Pakistan. nni

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