- Elders say political administration’s attitude towards tribal people is akin to rubbing salt in wounds
PESHAWAR: Expressing concern over the lack of basic infrastructure for Temporary Displaced Persons (TDPs) in North Waziristan, the tribal elders urged the government to remain true to its earlier promises regarding the rehabilitation of the tribesmen and provision of due facilities.
Mohsin Dawar, while addressing a press conference in Peshawar on Thursday, said that almost all the educational institutes were turned into private establishments, adding the names of the schools were being changed, along with a 100 per cent fee hike—Rs 500 to Rs 1000.
Accompanied by a number of elders, including Attaullah Wazir, Ziaud Din and Sajjad Khan, Dawar said a large number of educational institutes, including government schools and colleges, were turned into camps and barracks by the security forces.
The elders demanded that as the tribesmen have been repatriated now, therefore, the government needs to re-open these institutes so that the educational activities can be resumed throughout the region.
The tribal elders lamented that they supported the military operation in the region, Zarb-e-Azb, but all they received in return was commercialisation of education and health sector, as well as ill-treatment by the security forces at the security checks posts. They urged the government to relax restrictions at the check posts and direct the security personnel to well-behaved.
Accusing the Fata Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) of corruption and nepotism, they said despite the destruction of 90 per cent houses by the militants in the region, but no relief was provided to the natives due to rampant corruption prevalent in the political administration.
The elders alleged of corruption during the surveys of the destroyed/demolished properties and restoration of other infrastructures. In this connection, they demanded of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor to take a notice of the matter, as it was akin to rubbing salt in wounds.
Lambasting the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) as out-dated legislation, Dawar supported the FATA-KP merger, saying people were fed-up of this inherited black law, as this system is only beneficial to some elders and their patrons from the establishment.
