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Pak president urges move to Islamic law

In his State of the Union address today, Pakistan President Rafiq Tarar trumpeted Pakistan's new nuclear status, urged a quick move to an Islamic system and advocated greater world attention to neighboring Afghanistan's Taliban movement.

But the president's speech was barely audible in the cavernous National Assembly hall because of the cries of abuse from opposition parliamentarians, led by former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Wearing black arm bands, opposition legislators pounded their tables, clapped their hands and shouted ''shame, shame.''

Bhutto has been demanding the removal of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief's government, charging widespread harassment of his opponents with fabricated charges of corruption, interference with public institutions like the judiciary, and the sanctioning of custodial killings by the police.

Bhutto has twice been removed from power in Pakistan on similar charges.

Lawmakers belonging to a minority ethnic party, the Muttaheda Quami Movement, which accuses the government of harassing, arresting and intimidating its workers in southern Karachi walked out of Parliament.

Bhutto and her party legislators remained behind to heckle the president throughout his speech.

Tarar, a religious conservative and former justice, advocates a strong Islamic system in Pakistan, fiercely supports the country's controversial blasphemy laws, as well as the segregation for women.

While advocating an ''effective role'' for women, Tarar said it must remain within the ''cultural and ideological bounds prescribed by it.''

He praised the government's move to enact a controversial constitutional amendment to impose an Islamic system in Pakistan. The amendment has been passed by the national assembly, which Sharief controls, but has been held up in the senate, dominated by his opponents.

This amendment has raised fears among opponents that it will lead toward a justice system in Pakistan akin to the harsh system imposed by the Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Tarar said the new Islamic system is needed to rid Pakistan of ''the decadent system inherited by us from the colonial era.''

Tarar also praised the country's new nuclear status.

''I pay tribute to the scientists, the architects of the atomic programme, whose genius, hard labour and perseverance made this feat possible,'' Tarar said of last May's underground nuclear explosions. ''The decision constitutes a golden page in our history.''

He also lauded as testament to Pakistan's defense readiness, its new long range missile, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

Tarar warned: ''Those who harbour aggressive designs against Pakistan would do well to keep this awareness in mind.''

Tarar praised Kashmiri militants, who are waging a bitter and bloody uprising in Kashmir.

International pressure is on both Pakistan and India to settle the dispute over Kashmir through negotiations.

UNI

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