Qazi demands elected Jirgas in tribal areas
ISLAMABAD: Amir Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Qazi Hussain Ahmed and tribal JI leaders on Tuesday proposed election for members of Jirgas and enforcement of Islamic Shariah in the tribal areas as an alternate to the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR), asking the government to refrain from introducing the police system to replace the FCR.
Addressing a news conference here at his residence along with tribal leaders, Qazi said that they too were against the brutal and black law of FCR but the government had decided to repeal it at the behest of America to end the independent status of the people of tribal areas.
“An abrupt decision by the government to repeal the FCR and replace it with a new law has created unrest in the tribal areas,” he said. Qazi said all decisions pertaining to the tribal people should be taken by elected Jirgas or councils and not by nominated Jirgas. He said that members of a Jirga or a council should be properly elected from tribal areas under the supervision of the government. “The elected Jirgas will take all decisions according to the Islamic Shariah,” he maintained. He said they would organise meetings in tribal areas to pass resolutions to press for their demand and hold a seminar in the next two weeks to give a final shape to a draft proposal in this connection. “We will also consult parliamentarians and people of the tribal areas on this issue,” he said.
He maintained that the establishment of police stations and kutchery system in tribal agencies would be tantamount to spreading all evils of this system in tribal areas too. “All this is being done to implement the nefarious agenda of some external powers,” Qazi said.
To a question about restoration of deposed judges of superior courts, he said that if judges were not reinstated and restored to pre-November 3 position, they would ask the PML-N to quit the National and provincial assemblies. The JI Amir maintained that a constitutional package reportedly being discussed nowadays and which, according to some reports, was aimed at restoring the deposed judges and then retiring them after two months would not be acceptable either to them or to the PML-N. “If judges are not reinstated within the given time, we will ask PML-N to resign from the assemblies and join us in protest movement,” he said.
Asked about statements from political leaders about accepting President Pervez Musharraf without 58-2 (B), Qazi said they considered Musharraf as an unconstitutional president as he had committed high treason by breaking the Constitution on November 3, 2007.
To a question about manhandling of Arbab Ghulam Rahim in the Sindh Assembly, he said although the ex-chief minister did many wrong things during his tenure still the PPP leadership should control its workers or a chaos-like situation would be created in Sindh. To another question, Qazi said the JI would not field its candidates in by-elections but would fully participate in the next general polls with anti-US agenda.
Source: The News
Date:4/9/2008
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