Demanding the merger of Federally Administrative Tribal Areas (FATA) within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the Awami National Party (ANP) jirga on Sunday said it believed FATA tribesmen could be satisfied with a similar status to that given to the people from Malakand.
A FATA Jirga at Nishtar Hall Peshawar, including tribal elders from all seven agencies, welcomed ANP KP President Senator Afrasiab Khattak’s proposal to award Provincially Administrative Tribal Areas (PATA) status to FATA.
The jirga was addressed by Latif Afridi Advocate, KP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, ANP KP General Secretary Arbab Tahir, Imran Afridi and others. Tribal elders also addressed the jirga.
Khattak welcomed the presidential order to extend the Political Parties Act into FATA. He said, “The ANP will celebrate 2012 as FATA year. The ANP has planned a strategy including rallies, conferences and seminars throughout the tribal belt.” Favouring the ANP demand to annex FATA to KP, Khattak said, “The demand is feasible and will favour tribesmen.” He said tribesmen from different agencies lacked socio-ethnic relations and communication links to each other and these relations could be re-built.
Speaking about the plight of tribesmen, Latif Afridi said “The Islamabad establishment must review its hostile attitude to tribesmen or they can respond within a slogan contradicting the slogan of Pakistan Zindabad.” He said tribesmen are considered “third class citizens of a second class state.” He said he will lead a delegation to the Governor House and if it fails, they will knock on the doors of President House.
KP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain showed resentment over the “secret dialogue between US and Taliban militants.” He said no “secret dialogues” could ensure pease.
It can be mentioned FATA tribesmen have different opinions on the regions’ future status. ANP-affiliated tribesmen support a merger with KP, PPP, JUI(F) and Jamaat Islami affiliated tribesmen are double-minded while blue-eyed tribesmen of civil and military establishment are prolonging the matter by opposing the ANP demand.
Merge FATA into KP: ANP jirga
