PESHAWAR: Terming the closure of regular courts in Swat by Tehrik Nifaz-i-Shariat-i-Muhammadi chief Maulana Sufi Mohammad, merely ‘a misunderstanding’ Afrasiab Khattak, the provincial president of ruling Awami National Party, has said that all courts would function there.
'All courts will be functioning in Swat, I assured you’, said Mr Khattak, brushing off the speculation that regular courts were asked to stop functioning in Swat.
Mr Khattak was talking to journalists after attending a seminar on ‘Challenges to education in NWFP and Fata’ organised by Bacha Khan Education Foundation. He said that he had been regularly visiting Swat and normalcy was returning to the valley. He said that he had several meetings with people in the area and was sure that soon the government would establish its writ there.
Regular courts in Swat stopped to function when Maulana Sufi asked the judges on March 16 not to come to their courts as he termed those courts against Sharia. After the announcement by the TNSM chief, 16 courts in Mingora stopped functioning since Tuesday.
Mr Khattak, a Senator as well as peace envoy of provincial government which signed a declaration with the TNSM to bring peace to the conflict-ravaged valley, said that there was some misunderstanding which created a sort of impression as if other courts would not function in Swat.
He said that Nizam-i-Adal Regulation would be signed by the president in near future and as soon as it was done the hierarchy of the courts would be clearly defined based on new regulation.
He said that the role of Maulana Sufi Mohammad was not more than a reformer assisting the government in this process. ‘The government will appoint judges, not Maulana Sufi Mohammad,’ he said, while answering a question as to who would be exercising the authority to appoint judges in Swat.
About troop pullout from Swat, Mr Khattak said that it would be done slowly and gradually. ‘Army is not going to stay there indefinitely but since it is a war zone so it would be pulled out slowly as police and Frontier Constabulary take control of the area,’ he added.
To another question regarding a list of 200 prisoners forwarded to the government for their release, he said that those who were not involved in heinous crimes would be released.
However, the government would pardon those who committed crimes against the state but those who had harmed an individual would have to be tried in the court.
No comments:
Post a Comment