Word: shari
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Speaking at a news conference in Peshawar, Amir Haider Khan Hoti, the chief minister of the North-West Frontier Province, said on Monday that Shari'a law would be introduced to the Malakand division (which includes the Swat Valley), but only once the area is peaceful. The Taliban tentatively welcomed the decision, announcing a 10-day cease-fire on Sunday...
According to the terms of the agreement, "all non-Shari'a laws" have been abrogated in Malakand. Security forces "will only act if fired upon by militants." And if the "writ of the state is restored," the army's 12,000 troops will be withdrawn from the valley. The agreement, which enjoys the support of President Asif Ali Zardari and the army, came about after talks with Islamist leader Sufi Mohammed - Fazlullah's father-in-law and rival...
Government officials argue that by imposing Shari'a law, Islamabad is merely bowing to what is a popular local demand. The Swat Valley was traditionally a princely state that operated its own tribal system of governance until its merger with Pakistan in 1969. One of the factors that appears to have contributed to Fazlullah's ascent was his call for a return to a Shari'a-based system that offers swift justice and, therefore, relief from what many allege is Pakistan's venal police and court system. By stealing a march on Fazlullah, the government believes that...
Equally murky are the details of how the new legal system will operate. Other countries provide little guidance in the co-existence of Shari'a and civil law. Iran and Saudi Arabia operate under religious law; Shari'a is applied in limited range among the Muslim populations in India and the Philippines. Previous laws in Pakistan that were never enforced allowed Muslim clerics to advise judges on cases...
...edicts that critics say embolden radical elements in the nation. Though some of the group's religious calls have been praised - it recently issued a fatwa against smoking by minors and pregnant women - others have been more divisive, like the decree that Muslims avoid conventional banks in favor of Shari'a-based banking. Because the council's rulings are nonbinding, they are generally observed only by the nation's more conservative Muslims, but its advice is nonetheless often sought by government officials. Last year, for instance, the council played a key part in the controversial ban of the Ahmadiyah religious...