Strong reaction to "Talibanisation" of northwestern province

Women's groups and local observers are sceptical about new plans to impose shari'ah (Islamic law) in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP) by its hardline provincial government. A bill outlining a wide range of Islamic reforms, and giving shari'ah priority over secular law was presented to the provincial legislature on Tuesday. "They should focus on real issues, which are health, education and social justice for all," Bushra Gohar, a human rights activist and head of the Human Resources Management and Development Centre, told IRIN from Peshawar, the capital of the NWFP, on Thursday. Experts asserted that such moves might eventually lead to a Taliban-like government in the NWFP. The Taliban in Afghanistan imposed a total ban on women's education, employment and mobility. They also enforced shari'ah by compelling people to attend prayers, and discriminated against religious minorities. Gohar added that there were already similar laws in force, and the government wanted to divert people’s attention from the real issues. "It is a total eyewash," she maintained. Six months after the Islamist coalition of Muttahida Majlis-e Amal or the United Council of Action (UCA) formed the government in a historic victory in Pakistan's predominantly ethnic Pashtun-populated NWFP, it has unveiled draft legislation to the local assembly. If approved, it would bring the province’s education, judicial and financial systems in line with shari'ah, which is based on the teachings of the Koran. The law bans what assembly leaders described as "obscenity and vulgarity". The local government also plans to set up a vice and virtue department to punish people found violating the rules, and to establish Islamic courts, which would dispense summary justice similar to that established by the Taliban. Shari'ah would be the supreme law in provincial matters, and all courts bound to interpret and explain provincial law according to it, the new bill proposes. It is expected to be approved by the assembly, which is dominated overwhelmingly by religious hardliners. The proposed legislation follows a series of measures applied by the provincial authorities to curb freedom of expression and promote Islamic values. International media reported that hundreds of activists belonging to the ruling alliance went on a rampage through the streets of Peshawar on Friday, pulling down advertisements displaying women’s faces. They also cut cable television connections. Police stood by as the crowd, led by a member of the provincial legislature, smashed shop and restaurant signboards carrying pictures of female models. This month, schools were told to replace a uniform of shirt and trousers with the traditional dress of shalwar/qamis (baggy trousers/long shirt). Female students have been told to cover their heads at school. Earlier measures included a ban on huge popular film billboards depicting women, as well as the symbolic burning of thousands of videos and audio cassettes as a demonstration of official intent to curb obscenity. A few months ago, the government ordered the closure of the musicians' market in Peshawar's centuries-old Dabgari Bazar, an action which local observers believe will deprive hundreds of artists of their livelihoods, and might force scores of female performers into prostitution. Women are expected to be on the receiving end if the proposed legislation is enforced. Maryam Bibi, a senior community development specialist and head of the women’s organisation, Khwendo Kor, told IRIN that if the UCA were to impose shari'ah, it would make their lives very difficult. "According to the rigid interpretation of shari'ah, women will remain confined to their homes," she noted. She added that such moves would add to the environment of insecurity in the province for women and NGOs. "Their [the UCA's] priorities should be economic development, and education of women, rather then imposing more restrictions on them," she maintained. Aid organisations and NGOs have had difficulties in the past in parts of the province, because clerics opposed their "Western" activities, Bibi added. UCA leaders downplayed the significance of opposition to the controversial legislation. "Our government in the NWFP is trying to execute its constitutional role," Maulana Ata-ur Rahman told IRIN in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. He added that the country was founded on the basis of Islam and its constitution provided for an Islamic legal system in the country. Ata-ur Rahman maintained that the situation in the province was different from Afghanistan, and that they were not encouraging "Talibanisation". "The Taliban took power through a military revolution and imposed their regulation by force. We were voted to power by people, and we are trying to bring an Islamic system here through democratic processes," he explained. Meanwhile, Jamal Khan, an independent economist in Peshawar, told IRIN that the provincial government’s efforts to Islamise the economy in the NWFP would have a negative impact on the financial system. "Such moves will destroy all our potential for tourism," he said. Home to the ancient Gandhara civilisation, NWFP has numerous archaeological attractions, coupled with scenic mountain valleys. In the northern Swat districts of the province, which was once a prime tourist destination, hotels were reportedly being converted to schools because of a huge drop in visitor numbers. He added that a poor and underdeveloped region such as the NWFP could not develop without foreign investment. "The campaign against advertisement billboards will discourage any investors from investing in such a hostile environment," he warned.