The Assembly of the North West Frontier Province, ruled by the country's main religious alliance, yesterday passed a controversial Bill aimed at enforcing strict adherence to Islamic norms.
The provincial governor, however, warned he would thwart implementation of "Taliban-style" move.
The 124-member Assembly adopted the so-called Hasba Bill by 68 votes in favour and 34 against, amid an uproar by the opposition lawmakers belonging to Pakistan's ruling Pakistan Muslim League, Pakistan Peoples Party of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, the Awami National Party and other groups.
The opponents chanted "No, No" denouncing the legislation as a "black law" designed to impose theocratic system in the sensitive province bordering Afghanistan on the pattern what Taliban had one during their rule in the neighbouring country.
The Governor of North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Khalilur Rahman, told reporters he would not allow the province "to be Talibanised."
To become Law the Bill requires the signature of the governor who said he would take every constitutional step to stop the implementation of the legislation. The Bill seeks to set up a watchdog network of ombudsmen at provincial and lower levels including districts, who will have a special religious police under their command to "promote virtue and prevent vice" in society.
The federal government, human rights activists, women groups and other critics say the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal religious alliance wants to impose a Taliban-system in the region through the legislation.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao also warned on Wednesday the government was considering constitutional options to thwart the MMA move.
Senior minister in NWFP government, Sirajul Haq, said the passage of the bill was a historic day for the province.
"The secular forces inside and outside the country launched a war against us but thank God we made the dream of enforcement of Islamic laws come true," Haq told the media.
Some opposition lawmakers in NWFP said they were considering resigning from the assembly in addition to challenging the Hasba Bill at the country's Supreme Court.
Leader of the opposition in the provincial legislature, Shehzada Gustasip, said it was the "blackest day" in the history of the province which would be paralysed if the Law was implemented.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's ruling party president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain yesterday said the federal government would take constitutional steps to prevent enforcement of the controversial Law.
Shujaat said the Law had been passed in "indecent haste and without proper consultations." He said the Council of Islamic Ideology had been totally ignored and so was the opposition in the province.
