The MMA-led NWFP government on Wednesday warned the Centre not to hurl threats of toppling the provincial government on the pretext of Hasba Bill, as the Bill will become an Act after passage from the Provincial Assembly on Thursday.
NWFP Senior Minister Sirajul Haq flanked by Information Minister Asif Iqbal Dawoodzai and Law Minister Malik Zafar Azam was addressing a press conference here at the Frontier House.
Sirajul Haq ruled out that Hasba Bill was in conflict with the present judicial system saying the functionaries of federal government were creating confusion among the masses to divert their attention from the real issues.
The MMA government was established through a democratic process and Bill is not being implemented through an administrative order rather it was being debated in assembly openly, he said.
The NWFP senior minister, however, rejected the propaganda of the secular elements that Hasba Bill is a follow up of erstwhile hard-line Taleban's system, saying new law will perform reformatory role side by side the prevailing judicial system to benefit the people of the province.
Sirajul Haq also made it clear that barring the MMA from enacting laws particularly the Hasba Bill will further deepen rift with the Centre and create chaos.
The minister to a query expressed the optimism that NWFP government is fully committed to pass this bill on Thursday in the provincial assembly and not ready to withdraw it under looming pressure and threats from the federal government.
"Any one who tried to create constitutional crisis by imposition of Governor rule in the NWFP would have to face serious consequences in shape of countrywide agitation", Sirajul Haq pointed out.
Like other provinces, he said, NWFP has also full constitutional right to enact laws under Article 142 C of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan keeping in view the demands of the society. "The NWFP government is not afraid of any threats from the Federal Government on Hasba Bill."
The legislation on matters, which are included in the federal or concurrent lists, are the constitutional right of the province and preventing it from making laws will be considered an attack on its autonomy, he said.
The Hasba Act, Siraj said, after being passed from the Assembly would be implemented in about 24 districts of the NWFP and Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (Pata) through a 'Shariat Bill' passed from the National Assembly.
Referring to the Centre's spokesman demand, he said if they are tolerating a president in uniform in the Centre and live under his umbrella, they should not oppose Islamic system in the NWFP.
To another question, the NWFP senior minister maintained that all stakeholders including public, lawyers, judges, NGOs and minorities were consulted during the last two years before finalisation of Hasba draft.
About the President's assertion that the NWFP government did not provide him copy of the Hasba Bill, Sirajul Haq said a copy of the bill was also sent to President Musharraf through Governor NWFP Commander Khalil during the traditional Shindoor Festival in Chitral. "Even recommendations formulated by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) were also incorporated in the bill," he added.
NWFP Chief Minister Mohammed Akram Khan Durrani briefed Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and other coalition allies on July 5 at the Frontier House regarding salient features of the bill to win their support, the minister said, adding the PML Chief approved the bill during the meeting but also sought five days for looking into the matter but so far he did not inform us in this regard.
Sirajul Haq said the NWFP government will favour changes in the bill and it also seeks a process of dialogue with the political groups for the purpose.