PESHAWAR: The political parties’ and leadership of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) has rejected FATA Reforms Committee and announced to hold protest during visit of committee’s members to Khyber Agency. They demanded complete abolishment of Frontier Crime Regulation (FCR) law.

The political leadership of FATA was critical regarding the role of the governor’s constituted FATA Reforms Committee and pledged to reinvigorate the FATA alliance at Agency level aimed to pressurize the government to repel colonial-era FCR law in FATA.
They expressed these views at a grand tribal Jirga, organized by All FATA Political Parties’ Alliance (AFPA) held at press club here on Monday.

The tribal Jirga held in chair of the Alliance head and Pakistan People’s Party FATA chapter President Akhunzada Chattan, while leaders of almost all political parties including Jamaat-e-Islami Khyber Agency Ameer Zarnoor Afridi, ANP Nisar Mohmand and Latif Afridi, PTI leader Farid ur Rahman, JUI-F Maulana Ainuddin, Aftab Khan of PML-Q, Zahir Shah Safi of Qaumi Watan Party, besides tribal elders, teachers, lawyers, members of civil society organizations, and rights activists participated in the jirga.

The tribal elders supported the efforts and proposals of FATA Political Alliance to repel the draconian law FCR in FATA and merger of FATA into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

They also suggested the inclusion of tribal youth in the FATA Alliance aimed to strengthen the movement for their rights.

The participants alleged that tribal people were deliberately kept backward and no serious efforts were made for introducing reforms as per aspirations of the people of FATA.

They urged to stop discrimination with the over 10 million tribal people in providing them justice by extending a proper judicial system and in extending them other due rights.

The tribal elders also demanded representation in the parliament and provincial assembly.

“We want prosperity, development and better future for our children. We will not tolerate any more destruction in the tribal region,” the elders said.

They added solution of their problems lay in the merger of FATA into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for which they vowed to keep their struggle continue.

They lamented that tribal people were deprived of basic constitutional rights, due to presence of draconian law, FCR in FATA, Chattan said.
He also said they (tribesmen) weren’t provided proper healthcare and education facilities across the FATA.

Chattan said that the committee initiated consultations with certain maliks, and political agents of respective tribal agencies, but no true representation was given to tribal elders in the committee.

He said tribesmen wouldn’t accept such reforms in FATA, until consultations are made with respective tribal people.

“We will protest the visit of FATA Reforms Committee members’, which aims to create rift among the tribesmen, Chattan said and urged the practice should end and initiate reforms process in consultation with the political parties’ leadership and tribal people.

Besides on the occasion, JI Ameer Zarnoor Afridi said that discrimination was being carried out with the tribal people for the last several decades, adding tribesmen were not given their due rights and access to justice. Similarly, he lamented that no basic healthcare and education facilities were being provided to the people of FATA.

This practice, he said should be ended in FATA immediately and demanded merger of FATA in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Aftab Khan of PMQ said tribesmen are struggling to get rid of FCR since last three decades, but certain opportunists were taking steps to foil the campaign against FCR.

He also suggested the protest should held at agency level against the present reforms committee, and asked for inclusion of youth and students into the All FATA Political Alliance, because 99 per cent youth demands abolishment of FCR, he added.

PTI leader Farid ur Rahman expressed fear that if the political alliance at agency level would not support then the alliance would be weakened, adding the say of political parties and tribal elders were being underestimated during FATA reforms process, which is condemnable and unacceptable to them.

Latif Afridi of ANP accused the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor, and Political Administration for creating rift among the tribesmen of FATA, adding the incumbent Governor is incompetent to streamline the issues of FATA.

Afridi alleged that the governor with the support political agents embezzled millions of rupees funds, and demanded an impartial investigation regarding the Rs 40billion funds, received in name of tribal people.

“We want peace, prosperity, development, better health and education facilities, and constitutional rights. It could only be possible when FATA merges in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” ANP tribal leader said.

He supported the proposals for holding meetings with political and military leaders in and out of the parliaments for initiating of true reforms process in FATA.

Chattan in his closing remarks said that all recommendations and proposals of tribal elders and participants of a jirga should be considered in letter and spirit.