Tribal youth jirga calls on PPP president
Zardari says PPP will always stand by the people of tribal areas in their struggle
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party-Parliamentarians (PPPP) President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the PPP will stand by the people of tribal areas in their struggle for extending jurisdiction of superior courts to tribal areas, merging it with the province of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa and allocating share in the NFC Award. He said that all pointers whether economic, linguistic, cultural, geographic contiguity made it natural for the tribal areas to be merged in the province.
He was talking to a delegation of the tribal youth jirga that called on him at the Zardari House here on Thursday. The 25-member delegation included representatives of FATA youth from all tribal agencies representing all the political parties. TV anchor Salim Safi also accompanied the delegation.
Asif Ali Zardari said that although the bill to extend the jurisdiction of superior courts to tribal areas passed recently by the National Assembly fell far short of expectations was ‘too little too late’ but the PPP would support in the Senate to seize the opportunity and flung open the door for further improvements.
He said that when the PPP would come into power this year it will further improve and extend the jurisdiction of superior courts to all parts of FATA with immediate effect. Reminding that as President he had transferred all the powers to the Parliament, he said that for mainstreaming FATA the legislative powers of the president in respect of FATA be also transferred to the Parliament. He said that FATA should also be given share in the NFC Award. The tribal people have been devastated and it was time to put balm on their wounds.
He also demanded immediate demolition of the existing system of levy and collection of taxes, and rahdari by the political agents in tribal areas which he said was “arbitrary, illegal and a tool for corruption”.
‘Poor people are subjected to illegal tax on transportation of every merchandise of daily use in what he said was a lucrative business for some and demanded an end to it. He also called for the audit by auditor general of the public spending by the civil-military bureaucratic complex in FATA.
He said that for the first time in a century the door to reforms in FCR was opened by the PPP during his presidency. For the first time also all the political parties were allowed to operate in tribal areas and present an alternate political view and for this purpose the political parties’ Order 2002 was extended to the tribal areas’ he said adding the PPP will continue its efforts to further mainstream tribal areas.
Former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, PPP Secretary General Nayyer Bokhari, spokesperson Aamir Fida Paracha, PPP FATA President Akhunzada Chattan, FATA Women Wing President Dr Saima, Political Secretary Rukhsana Bangash, Fouzia Habib and Farhatullah Babar were also present in the meeting.