Tribal jirgas meet to discuss FATA-KP merger

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PESHAWAR: In connection with future executive and political status of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), two separate jirgas were held in Peshawar and Jamrud Khyber Agency on Saturday.

The grand tribal jirga, opposing the merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and demanding an independent province for tribesmen, arranged the gathering at Nishtar Hall Peshawar, while the tribal youth organisation, supporting and demanding the immediate merger of FATA and KP, arranged its gathering at Sports Complex Jamrud Khyber Agency.

Beside others, Senator Rahman Mohmand, former diplomat Ayaz Wazir and ex-military officer and analyst Brig (Retd) Said Nazir addressed the grand tribal jirga, attended by influential elders and representatives from various tribal agencies and frontier regions. The participants with one voice opposed the proposed merger of FATA with KP and demanded an independent and autonomous status for tribesmen. They also demanded the establishment of universities, medical, engineering and other professional colleges, and other standard educational institutions in all seven tribal agencies and six frontier regions of the tribal belt.

The speakers at the grand tribal jirga alleged that almost all executive and attractive offices in departments of FATA Secretariat and FATA Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) were occupied by non-tribesmen. They demanded for FATA to be made into a separate province and the positions of governor, chief minister and other executive and administrative offices to be filled by tribesmen. Moreover, they repeated their demand for maximum reforms in outdated Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) and, in particular, for the complete abolishment of clauses pertaining to territorial responsibilities.

The tribal youth organisation jirga at Sports Complex Jamrud Khyber Agency was attended by youths and students. This jirga supported the immediate merger of FATA with KP. They also demanded for the jurisdiction of Peshawar High Court and for civil laws to be extended to all tribal agencies of the tribal belt.

The tribal youth organisation jirga was addressed by MNA Haji Shah Jee Gul, Shaukat Aziz and others. The speakers urged the federal government to implement the five-member committee recommendations, which included the merger of FATA and KP, abolishment of inhuman clauses of FCR laws like the endowment of maximum powers to political agents, giving of territorial responsibilities to tribesmen and others. In this connection, MNA Shah Jee Gul Afridi recalled Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbassi’s commitments with the protesting tribesmen including parliamentarians, leaders, representatives of different political parties and others.

Some speakers at the FATA youth organisation jirga also criticized the leaders of Jamiat Ulema Islam-F (JUI-F) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) for opposing reforms and the merger of FATA and KP. They said that most political forces favoured the merger, and urged that the leaders of both JUI-F and PMAP should review their stances on FATA reforms issue.