Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Feb 7, 2008 / 06:19 am
The Pakistan government’s recommendation to replace some regular courts with courts based on Islamic law is facing opposition from Pakistani Catholics, who say the plan would encourage the Taliban and other militants, UCA News reports.
The caretaker government announced on January 23 that it would replace ordinary judicial officers with Islamic judges, called “qazi,” and enforce Sharia law in the North-West Frontier Province. The change is hoped to end the insurgency in the region.
The qazi courts would handle all cases whether or not the parties are Muslim. The final court of appeal for the qazi courts would be the Federal Sharia Court, composed of Muslim lawyers and judges. In some civil matters involving non-Muslim communities, in areas such as family law and religious observance, cases would be decided according to laws specific to the communities rather than according to Sharia law.
Some Christians have joined the political parties, bar associations, and non-governmental organizations in opposing the change.