LAHORE, July 12: The MMA on Tuesday appealed to opposition parties not to strengthen Gen Musharraf’s agenda by opposing the Hasba bill tabled in the NWFP Assembly on Monday. Interestingly, the PML-N, whose exiled leader Mian Nawaz Sharif in a telephonic speech to a gathering here on Sunday had vowed to introduce Islamic system in the country after coming into power, also opposed the bill along with the PML and secular parties like the PPP and the ANP.

Speaking at a press conference here on Tuesday, MMA deputy secretary-general Liaquat Baloch likened the opposition to the bill to supporting Gen Musharraf, a torch-bearer of ‘moderation.’

In fact, bureaucrats, feudal lords and chieftains were opposing the bill, as after becoming a law, it would hurt their interests by releasing the masses from their clutches, he said.

The MMA was undeterred by the threats of ouster of its government and imposition of governor’s rule in the province by the federal government, Mr Baloch said.

“They don’t have the guts to take such a step.

“If there exists the constitution and rule of law then they will have to restore the assembly after a certain period. What then will happen as the religious alliance holds sway there and the powers-that-be could not defect even a single MPA of us despite using all tactics,” he said.

He claimed that legislation on a matter already referred to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) was permissible.

He rather said the CII itself had in 1996 highlighted in its report the need for establishing a Hasba (accountability) authority.

He denied the propaganda that the provincial government could appoint any person as ombudsman under the proposed Hasba law.

Only he who qualified to become a judge of the Federal Shariat Court could become the ombudsman under the proposed law while to help him there would be a consultative council comprising two graduate religious scholars, as many lawyers qualifying to practice in a high court, and two grade-20 government servants, he said.

At district and tehsil levels two religious scholars, one lawyer, the relevant police circle in-charge, and a representative of minorities would comprise the conciliation councils, he added. The MMA leader also made it clear that there would be no new police force under the command of the ombudsman rather the Hasba Authority could, if and when needed, seek officials from the existing police force.

He said the bill was within the bounds of the constitution and provincial autonomy as it had been framed by consulting former judges of higher courts and law experts.

The bill contained no such matter that required prior permission of the president, he said.

All earlier legislative work, he said, had been done by bureaucrats, the establishment and stake-holders in the status quo thus it failed to deliver.

The Hasba law, he said, would be a relief to the victims of oppression as it would provide justice to them at their doorsteps.

It would not repeal any old law or statute, he said.