Darul Qaza: APC threatens long march if judges not appointed

APC warns of ‘alarming consequences’ if govt fails to make Darul Qaza functional.

SWAT:

The All Parties Conference (APC) has demanded of the Supreme Court to immediately activate Darul Qaza in the Malakand Division.

The conference held at the Swat Bar room on Monday – attended by all parties along with the Swat Traders Union, Transport Union, Hotel Association, Swat Qomi Jirga and Nepki Khel Aman Jirga – collectively issued a press release demanding that the Chief Justice of Pakistan make the Darul Qaza immediately functional by appointing its judges. The conference warned that the government’s failure to do so will end in alarming consequences.

Swat was promised a return to the Islamic courts system that prevailed in the valley before 1962. As part of its attempts to quell the Taliban uprising in Swat, the government had promised a return to the Darul Qaza system, but has so far failed to appoint any judges. The APC threatened that if the issue is not solved immediately they will stage a long march to Islamabad, as well as a complete shutter-down and wheel-jam strike.

“We strongly condemn the passive behavior of the authorities to appoint judges for Darul Qaza,” said Sher Shah Khan, a member of Swat Qomi Jirga. “If the government fails, we will extend every possible assistance to the lawyers’ community in this regard,” he added.

Swat Traders Association President Abdur Rahim warned that if the judges were not appointed in time, they will stage a shutter-down strike in the entire district. Similarly, Transport Unions have also threatened to observe a wheel-jam strike on the call of the lawyers’ community across the district.

Provincial Minister for Forests and Environment Wajid Ali Khan said, “Credit goes to ANP for the establishment of Darul Qaza, which had been a long-standing desire of the people of Malakand Division. I assure assistance from the provincial government to the lawyers’ community.”

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) parliamentarian MNA Allowdin Khan said that PPP has played a key role for the establishment of the Darul Qaza by carrying out the amendments in the constitution and will support the desire of the people of the Malakand Division.

President of the Swat Bar Association Asghar Khan in this regard said that although Darul Qaza has been set up, the unavailability of the judges is the core issue. “Legally and constitutionally there is no hindrance to make Darul Qaza operational, but the only hurdle is the Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court,” he said.

“This is our constitutional right and we demand from the Chief Justice to solve the long-standing issue to make Darul Qaza functional with immediate effect,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 5^th,  2011.