FATA grand alliance to devise strategy on provincial status tomorrow

After a demand by MQM chief Altaf Hussain for provincial status for FATA, former minister for environment Hameedullah Jan Afridi has become active and called a meeting of
FATA Grand Alliance tomorrow (Wednesday) for consultations on forming a new province.
Afridi said the meeting would be attended by all parliamentarians from FATA, lawyers, retired bureaucrats and representatives of FATA Union of Journalists. The meeting would take important decision about the future of FATA. Afridi said he spoke to the MQM chief over telephone and thanked him for his support for FATA as a province. He said JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had assured him that his party would not oppose the move.
He said after the meeting, contact would be established with the PPP, PML-N and other political parties to seek their backing.