June 3, 2003	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 2, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, June 2: The federal government would give more administrative powers to the NWFP governor to check Talibanization of the Frontier province, official sources told Dawn.

The sources said the federal government, as a first step, would provide the governor officers of his choice who would be appointed at important posts.

The governor would also keep a close contact with the MPAs of the PML-Q and the PPP-Sherpao.

The sources said the federal government was also keeping an eye on the Islamization drive in the NWFP, specially the Shariat Bill adopted by the provincial assembly. They said the Shariat Bill might be referred to the Federal Shariat Court before its implementation in the province.

The sources said the FSC judgment, declaring all forms of interest-based banking as Riba, had ceased to exist as the Supreme Court had set it aside.

The apex court had sent the case back to the Federal Shariat Court to examine it afresh and consider more questions before making any declaration on interest-based banking.

The sources said the FSC judgment which was being referred to by the MMA government was the work of only one man as many Islamic scholars held different views.

The federal government had stated before the Supreme Court that the author of the Federal Shariat Court judgment and the Council of Islamic Ideology report on Riba was Justice Tanzilur Rehman. In his capacity as the CII chairman, he wrote the CII report, declaring all forms of interest-based banking as un-Islamic.

When Justice Rehman was appointed chief justice of the FSC by Gen Ziaul Haq, he wrote the FSC judgment and placed reliance on the CII report on elimination of Riba.

The sources said the CII report, sans its recommendations on elimination of Riba, was no cause of worry as it only recommended a ban on hand-cuffing of accused and convicts. The CII, which is a part of the original 1973 Constitution, has completed its examination of all the existing laws and submitted its report.

The council in its report states that after a careful scrutiny it was found that a large number of the federal and provincial laws were not contrary to Shariat.

It said that a great number of existing laws needed no amendment from the Shariat point of view.