Pakistan's Supreme Court has begun hearing a government challenge against a proposed law in North West Frontier Province that seeks to enforce strict adherence to Islam.
At President Pervez Musharraf's request, the Court began hearings Monday on whether the proposed enforcement law, known as "Hisba," is constitutional.
General Musharraf has warned the proposed law will take away freedoms, and he is urging people to reject extremist views of Islam.
Supporters of the bill say it will improve society.
Critics have compared the proposed law to former Taleban policies in neighboring Afghanistan before the militants were ousted by the U.S. led invasion in 2001. The Taleban's Vice and Virtue policy enforced a strict version Islamic law, barring women and girls from virtually all public life, and banning most forms of entertainment.