PESHAWAR - Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has alleged merger of Fata with KP is actually part of the US agenda upon which the federal government is working speedily.

Addressing the provincial general council of JUI-F at the party’s central headquarters here, Fazl said the federal government has expedited its agenda of making the tribal areas a part of the KP province under the US pressure. He claimed it is not the demand of the majority of people from Fata.

“The JUI-F is in favour of bringing reforms in Fata, but we don’t support merger of these ever-neglected areas with KP. My party’s demand is to make the tribal areas a separate province after seeking the people’s opinion through a referendum on this very important issue,” he reiterated.

The federal government is giving no weight to the wishes of the tribal people, but is only interested in implementing the US agenda, which is unacceptable to them, he averred. He alleged the federal government is making decisions in haste on the future status of Fata as the bill of extending the courts’ jurisdiction to the tribal belt was passed clandestinely, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said.

He said those calling themselves champions of democracy are totally ignoring the wishes of majority of the tribesmen who are against the Fata merger with KP. He questioned why the government is not giving weight to the tribal people’s opinion as it had done in the case of Gilgit-Baltistan.

The JUI-F amir averred he was surprised by JUI-S chief Maulana Sami-ul-Haq’s decision of not joining the MMA, because he had formally attended all the meetings held in the past in connection with its revival.

Coming down hard on the PTI provincial government’s decision of giving honorarium to prayer leaders of mosques, he termed it a conspiracy to divide Ulema.

In the past, the JUI-F had been stopped from coming into power and again certain forces are out to create hurdles in its way through money, he alleged, adding such efforts of the hidden hands would not succeed.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman regretted despite the fact that his party stands by Islam, the constitution and democracy, certain religion figures and those affiliated with JUI-F had been included in the fourth schedule.