Hasba bill
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The Hasba bill (Urdu: حسبہ قانون; accountability bill) was a bill proposed by members of the provincial assembly of the North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, which borders Afghanistan. The political party in power in the province is the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), which is an alliance of six religious parties endorsing a system of Islamic justice (sharia). In 2003 the Sharia Act was approved by the same assembly, which mandates sharia in the province. The Hasba bill was intended as a means for overseeing the implementation of sharia (hisbah, hence the name of the bill).
The Hasba bill was blocked by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry declaring it to be unconstitutional. Attorney General Makhdoom Ali Khan appeared on behalf of the President of Pakistan who challenged the bill with his powers as Referring Authority.
