- Losing sight of the elephant in the room
An optimistic attitude is a positive sign as long as it does not turn into complacency. To maintain that hard times are over in Fata comes into the latter category. The remark was made by DG ISPR after an agreement brokered in North Waziristan for compensation to local shopkeepers for perishable commodities destroyed during the operation. An agreement brokered with even a relatively small segment of society in NW is commendable. It is unsound however to pass a judgment about a forest by looking at a single tree.
A look at a report on FATA administration’s failure to exhausts its meager development funds on time would show how badly the tribal belt is being managed. Despite securing Rs11.95 billion out of the total Rs24.5 billion, the Fata secretariat managed to capitalise only Rs8.2 billion on projects across the tribal areas. Lack of utilisation of funds by a big margin would adversely affect agriculture and livestock sectors, the mainstay of the Fata economy as well as education and health, which is an investment in the FATA people’s future. On these two sectors Fata secretariat managed to spend a mere Rs490 million out of Rs1.6 billion. A population thus treated can hardly be expected to remain satisfied and silent for long.
We have been repeatedly told by those who matter that FATA is to be mainstreamed and made a part of KP. There is however still no plan with a timetable for this. The negligence is likely to cause discontent.
We are told that all problems can be resolved through talks. There is a need on the part of the government to hold talks with the newly formed Pashun Tahaffuz Movement to sort out the issues of forced disappearances, clearing landmines, profiling of Pushtuns in Punjab, etc. That the PTM leaders came to apprise the people of Lahore and intend to do the same in Karachi indicates they are patriotic and want to resolve issues peacefully within the federation. Pakistan has a long history of maltreating patriotic dissidents and then labeling them as traitors. It is time we close the chapter by initiating a dialogue.
