Islamabad, April 14 (Inditop) By agreeing to impose Sharia laws in part of its restive northeast, Pakistan had ceded control of the area to a “band of militants”, an editorial in a leading English daily said Tuesday.
However,anothernewspaperlaudedparliament’s”collectivewisdom”inagreeingtoacontroversialpeacedealwiththeTalibanbyimposingSharialawsintheSwatValleyandsixotherdistrictsoftheNorthWestFrontierProvince(NWFP)inreturnforthemilitantslayingdowntheirarms.
“IteffectivelycedesjudicialcontrolofapartofPakistantoabandofmilitantswhohavebeenwagingasavagewaragainstthestate,”Dawnsaidinaneditorial.
“Thecollectivewisdomofthecountry’sprimepublicrepresentativebody-theNationalAssemblyofPakistan-hasputitsweightbehindtheSwatpeacedealtosavethepeopleofthevalleyfromruthlesskillingandcompletelawlessness,whichhasbeenthehallmarkofthisoncetheenchantingtouristresortofPakistan,”TheNewssaidinacommentary.
PresidentAsifAliZardariratifiedthepeacedeallateMondayafterparliamenthadpasseditafteraday-longdebatethatsawtheMuttahidaQuamiMovement(MQM)walkingoutinprotest.
Indoingso,Zardaritooktheeasywayoutbytossingtheissueintoparliament’scourtinthefaceofgrowinginternationalpressureagainstthedeal
