September 25, 2008	Thursday	Ramazan 24, 1429

PESHAWAR, Sept 24: A high-level meeting of the provincial government here on Wednesday approved the proposed Nizam-i-Adl (Shariah) Regulation, 2008, providing a timeframe for disposal of criminal and civil cases and appointment of a mauvin-i-qazi in each court in the Malakand region.

The meeting held under NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti resolved to introduce the new law at the earliest.

The meeting decided that a jirga of public representatives from the Malakand region would be held in the Chief Minister’s House on Saturday wherein provincial Law Minister Barrister Arshid Abdullah would brief them about the proposed law.

The meeting was also attended by provincial government’s peace envoy Afrasiab Khattak, senior provincial ministers Bashir Ahmad Bilour and Rahimdad Khan, provincial ministers Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Arshad Abdullah, Humayun Khan, Wajid Ali Khan and former senator and ANP’s information secretary Zahid Khan. High-ranking officials of interior and law departments were also present.

“The government is trying its level best to implement the proposed regulation in the Malakand region by 27th of Ramazan,” provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told journalists after the meeting.

He said the meeting had finalised the draft of the propose law and a representative jirga would be invited to discuss the final draft before implementation.

Official sources said that after approval by the meeting, a summary for promulgation of the regulation was sent to the chief minister from where it would be dispatched to NWFP Governor Owais Ahmad Ghani. Following approval by the governor, the summary would be sent to the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions, which would approve it after consultation with the federal law division.

Under Article 247 of the Constitution, only the governor of a province could promulgate a regulation in the Provincially Administered Tribal Areas, including the Malakand region, with approval of the president.

The proposed law would replace the Shariah Nizam-i-Adl regulation, 1999, which was introduced during the provincial government of Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan.

A copy of the proposed regulation has been sent to Maulana Sufi Mohammad, chief of the proscribed Tehrik Nafaz-i-Sharia-i-Muhammadi.

A meeting of the TNSM’ shura was held on Wednesday in Lower Dir, which discussed the proposed law.

His son, Maulana Kifayat, told journalists after the meeting that they had certain reservations over the proposed law which would be announced by Maulana Sufi in a press conference in a day or two.