October 07, 2007	Sunday	Ramazan 24, 1428

SWAT, Oct 6: Elders of the Malakand Loya Jirga, leaders of the Tehrik Nefaz Shariat-i-Muhammadi, top aides of controversial cleric Maulana Fazalullah, traders and social workers have demanded the enforcement of Sharia in Swat.

The demand was made during a meeting convened by District Coordination Officer Syed Mohammad Javed here on Saturday to discuss the law and order situation and chalk out ways to restore peace to the scenic district.

The DCO assured the participants that the administration would fulfil every demand of the Loya jirga and asked it to present its demands in three days so that effective steps could be taken to maintain peace in the region.

He constituted a 25-member representative jirga to suggest ways for the restoration of peace to the district.

Sources said that the participants held the district administration and police responsible for the deteriorating law and order situation and said the enforcement of Sharia was the only way to eliminate injustices from society.

Malakand jirga chairman Khurshid Alam Khan said that exemplary peace and tranquillity existed in the formerly princely state of Swat before its annexation to Pakistan in 1969. The people used to get cheap and speedy justice during the rule of Wali Swat and this was the reason that no crime was reported in those days.

But after the annexation, he said, colonial era laws had been enforced in the area which created unrest among people because cheap justice became dearer with the passage of time. “The people want only Sharia, and this is the only pre-condition to restoring peace to Swat.”

Cleric’s aide Shah Dauran said that Maulana Fazalullah had been blamed for all terrorist activities and unlawful acts, which was unjust.