Taliban set up courts in FATA, NWFP

In a clear indication of the kind of power it has acquired in the volatile tribal regions of Pakistan, and in the countrys North West Frontier Province, the Taliban has set up kangaroo courts to deliver its form of Islamic justice.

Islamabad, June 30 : In a clear indication of the kind of power it has acquired in the volatile tribal regions of Pakistan, and in the country's North West Frontier Province, the Taliban has set up kangaroo courts to deliver its form of Islamic justice.

These Qazi courts are primarily located inside mosques, and have started delivering "quick and inexpensive justice to tribesmen at their doorstep".

Several established lawyers of the region have confirmed that these Qazi courts have resulted in a drop in the number of cases being heard in the court of the rontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) Commissioner and the FCR Tribunal.

The courts have been set up in the Mohmand, Bajaur and Orakzai tribal agencies, and on the outskirts of Peshawar, the NWFP capital.

Sources said that the the government and the local administration is at present not planning a crackdown on these courts.

ANI