NWFP PA passes disputed Hasba bill
Bureau Report

PESHAWAR—The NWFP Assembly has accepted the slightly amended Hasba Bill 2006 as a balanced Ordinance in the Province as a step towards promulgation of Islamic laws.
The Bill was accepted on Monday, after being proposed by Provincial law Minister Malik Zafar Azam and was criticized by the opposition, and was also proposed to be forwarded to the Select Committee for further implementations.
While debating the proposed and accepted Bill, ANP MPA, Bashir Bilour criticized it as being a purely politically motivated issue, and said that if the government was so sincere about promulgating Islamic system in the Province, the Bill should also encompass judiciary.
He accused the bill as another endeavor to stifle public opinion and could be used against MMA as well, and also accused the government of trying to enhance expenditure, in guise of presenting new projects in the revenue starved Province.
He said that the Bill would have to be sent to the Supreme Court who would again bounce it back. Sikandar Sherpao of PPP (S) also criticized the Bill for being in contravention to some articles of the Constitution and said that the bill had been sent back by the Supreme Court, which had loosened its morale.
He said that it was also in contravention of Local Government Ordinance, and was purely for political leverage. He said that the Bill was just like the Khidmat Committees of former Premier Mian Nawaz Sharif.
Former deputy Speaker of the Provincial Assembly also termed it as un-constitutional as declared by the Supreme Court, and it still contained the ten controversial articles.
Abdul Akbar Khan of PPPP, declared the Bill as null and void by the Apex Supreme Court as a slap on the face of the Assembly and held the government responsible, since the august house was not taken into confidence. Besides all those seeking accountability would have to come to the CM Secretariat, which would open a Pandora box of sorts there.
Defending the Bill, in response to the criticism, the Provincial law minister declared the bill to be fully in accordance with the norms of Constitution, and speedy and conducive justice would be meted to the masses. He said that the said Bill was tabled in 2003, but obstacles were created in its promulgation, after which MMA presented the Bill to governor according to rules of Business, who stalled it for a full one year, instead of signing it immediately and forwarded it to The Council of Islamic Ideology.
He said that the said Bill was the seventh Bill about which the president’s opinion was sought, while the Apex Supreme Court declared only some of its articles, and not the Bill as whole, being in contravention of Constitution.
The Bill was repeated in 2005, but the untimely situation of quake overshadowed it. But now was the appropriate time to get the bill across the board. He refuted the notion that the entire Bill was in contravention to the Constitution and said that amendments proposed by Pir Muhammad Ikramullah Shah and Israrullah but the amendments proposed by Pir Ikramullah Shah were annulled due to his absence while Ikramullah Shah has also surrendered his amendments.