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| July 15, 2005 | Friday | Jumadi-us-Sani 7, 1426 |
Speakers dub Hasba bill un-Islamic
ISLAMABAD, July 14: Speakers at a seminar on Thursday dubbed the Hasba bill “unconstitutional, un-Islamic and anti-humanity” and termed it an attempt at Talibanization of the NWFP. The participants of the seminar on “Hasba bill: Implications and Consequences”, organized by the Aurat Foundation, termed the bill a “political gimmick” by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal ahead of local government elections.
The seminar was attended by People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) Senator Farhatullah Babar, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Dr Farooq Sattar, Awami National Party (ANP) leader Haji Adeel, Pakistan Muslim League (PML) MNA Mehnaz Rafi, human rights activists and religious scholars.
No one from the MMA turned up to defend the passage of the Hasba bill. Naeem Mirza of the Aurat Foundation told the participants that MMA leader Liaquat Baloch had confirmed his participation in the seminar, but at the eleventh hour, he informed them that he had to go to Lahore due to an emergency. Mr Baloch, he said, told the organizers that he had asked another MNA, Asadullah Bhutto, to attend the seminar in his place.
However, Asadullah Bhutto, when contacted on his mobile phone, said he was in Karachi and that he had not been asked by Liaquat Baloch to attend any seminar.
Speaking on the occasion, PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar said the Hasba bill not only negated fundamental human rights, but it also empowered a political official to snoop on anyone. It would push the people back into the dark ages in the name of Islam, he observed.
The PPP senator also read out verse 157 of Surah Al-Araf which had a reference to ‘Amr Bil Maroof and Nahi Anil Munkir’, and alleged that the MMA leaders were misinterpreting the verse.
He said the nation should remember that under similar laws, Taliban shaved off the heads of Pakistani football team members in a Kandahar stadium for wearing shorts.
Mr Babar said sub-sections 2 and 3 of Article 23 of the bill clearly empowered the religious police to enter private houses. Quoting articles of the bill, he said the Hasba force could interfere in the affairs of media, provincial assembly and even the lives of individuals, but it had spared armed forces as the MMA leaders knew their limitations.
Moreover, he regretted that there was no provision of appeal in any court against the decision of the Mohtasib appointed by the chief minister, who was a political person.
The PPP senator said even the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) had termed the Hasba bill unconstitutional, but the NWFP law minister now called the CII a “political ideology council”.
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Director I A Rehman said the bill had been conceived on “Fitna” (mischief). He said no one could enforce Islamic traditions and culture by use of force.
He stressed the need for holding those forces accountable who had brought the MMA to the present position where they had a majority in the NWFP Assembly.
ANP leader and former deputy speaker of the NWFP Assembly Haji Adeel termed the bill a “martial law of Maulvis”. He said first the military and Mullah joined hands and mutilated the 1973 Constitution through the 17th Amendment and now the religious alliance was bent upon damaging all four pillars of the state through the Hasba bill.
He highlighted various articles of the bill which were against the basic spirit of the Constitution. He said after implementation of the act, over 700 so-called Ulema would be appointed at different positions at the district and provincial level.
PML MNA Mehnaz Rafi said the Hasba Act was a step towards imposition of “Mullaism” in the country. She said whenever the religious parties talked about Islamic system, they only targeted women. She vowed to stop the MMA from implementing the Hasba bill with full force.
Renowned scholar Dr Farooq Khan said the word “Hasba” had no mention in the early days of Islam. He said even it was not used by the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) or any of the caliphs. He said it was after 475 years of the advent of Islam that the Abbasides converted their “Market Police” into “Hasba Force”. He said the job of the Hasba Force was only to monitor the shopkeepers and traders’ activities to protect consumer rights.
Parliamentary leader of the MQM in the National Assembly Dr Farooq Sattar said Talibanization and Hasba Act were the same phenomenon. He said it was an effort by the MMA to create a state within the state. He said it was for the first time that the so- called religious leaders in Pakistan through the act had confirmed that there was no difference in their ideology and that of the Taliban. He said though Taliban were ruling in Afghanistan, their roots were in Pakistan.
The MQM leader stressed the need for mobilizing people all over the country against the Hasba Act.
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