Islamic Law Now Official for a Valley in Pakistan

US critical of Pakistan Islamic law deal in Swat

Afghanistan Concerned Over Pakistan Sharia Peace DealVoice of America - USA

President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan has signed a measure that would impose Islamic law in the northwestern valley of Swat, in a move that was largely seen as a capitulation to Taliban militants.

Mr. Zardari’s approval came late Monday 13th April 2009, after Parliament voted overwhelmingly for the measure, which would allow militants to administer justice through courts whose judges have Islamic training.

Residents of the Swat Valley, once one of Pakistan’s most popular vacation spots, have been terrorized by militants from the Taliban, who human rights activists say are using Islam as an excuse to extend their own power.

The local government in Swat agreed in February to allow the militants to impose Islamic law in exchange for a cease-fire. The deal came after months of fighting, during which the Pakistani Army was unable to subdue the militants.

“The conflict is political, not religious,” said Ibn-e-Abduh Rehman, head of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. “They don’t want Parliament, they don’t want elections, they don’t want judges.”

Pakistan seen as ‘caving in’ to Taliban threat

President Asif Ali Zardari’s decision to bow to Taliban demands and impose the Nizam-e-Adl in Malakand division was marked by the Al Qaeda-allied militants taking over Buner, just 60 miles from Islamabad.

The takeover in Buner, with almost no resistance from security forces, marked a major advance for the Taliban, a report published in The St Petersburg Time stated. It said the government’s endorsement of Islamic law further increased their political clout. In Washington, the Obama administration had no immediate comment.Most serious: According to the report, Pakistan constitutes the most serious security threat the US administration faces in light of the Taliban’s advance, the military's inability or unwillingness to combat them, the government's weakness and the country's economic crisis. The report notes that the decision to implement sharia came after parliament, under what amounted to a death threat from the Taliban, unanimously approved a resolution backing the move.

Position of defeat: The US has voiced concerns over the deal in Swat, as have members of Pakistan's small liberal elite. But politicians said they were left with few options after a band of Taliban defeated the army in Swat. "This (sharia) has been imposed from a position of defeat," said Iqbal Haider, a co-chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). "This is a formula for the Talibanisation of Pakistan."The report predicts that Western-style schools, where English is the language of instruction, could be the Taliban’s next target. Several schools in Islamabad closed on Monday, and others in Punjab, the country's most populous region, have beefed up their security.