ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Wednesday unfolded a package of sweeping measures to make Pakistan an Islamic social welfare state.
Addressing the joint session of Parliament Sharif announced that the Shariat Bill would be presented in parliament forthwith and steps would be taken to amend the constitution to make Quran and Sunna the supreme law of the land.
Former premier Benzair Bhutto who led the Pakistan Democratic Alliance members back into the house after a month-long boycott termed Sharif’s speech as interesting but said she had reservations over several issues and had doubts over government’s ability to effectively implement its decision
Sharif said stringent laws were in the offing to end the menace of obscenity and nudity adulteration corruption and bribery.
The courts would be empowered to forfeit the property of those found guilty while awarding stiff punishment.
He said criminal civil and family law cases would now be decided through a one-window operation and the litigants would be allowed only one appeal to ensure speedy justice.
He said efforts would be made to decide cases within a month of coming before courts.
The Pakistan premier said both the administrative and the police machinery were also being restructured.
He said under a proposed law all types of prohibited weapons would have to be returned within a specified period. Those found guilty could face life imprisonment and have their property forfeited.
The Pakistan premier who said he was not a fundamentalist held out the assurance of taking the country into the 21st century as a prosperous state free from poverty corruption and drugs. Liberals Muslims minorities and women rights groups have opposed the Shariat bill saying the draconian laws would spell doom for them.
With a two-thirds majority in Parliament Sharif is unlikely to face major hurdles in the smooth passage of the Shanat bill and in carrying out the constitutional amendment to make Quran and Sunna the supreme law in the country observers here said.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 19, 1991
