–Ali Wazir, Moshin Dawar vow to heal wounds of war-weary people
ISLAMABAD: The newly elected Members National Assembly (MNAs) from North and South Waziristan tribal districts have said that they would opt to remain independent in the parliament; however, they could extend issue-based support to the government as well as the opposition.
Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Ali Wazir, MNA from South Waziristan and Mohsin Dawar, from North Waziristan, said that they would not side with the government or the opposition, but would sit in the parliament as independents.
They said that both the government and the opposition were buying the loyalties of the elected representatives but were least bothered about the sufferings of the people of the terror-stricken tribal areas.
Wazir said that restoration of peace was their prime demand and they would raise their voice in this regard at all forums, adding that since public reposed confidence in them and voted them to the parliament, they would take up the issue on the august forum.
He vowed that they would make all-out efforts for restoring peace and ensuring the writ of the government in the erstwhile FATA.
Speaking on the occasion, Dawar said that the people of the trouble-hit region had been facing a great ordeal for the past two decades, but very little efforts were being made to heal the wounds of the war-weary people.
He lamented that each tribal family was being paid a meager amount of Rs400,000 as compensation for their destroyed houses; therefore they demanded that the amount should be increased, as this amount was not even sufficient to plaster a room.
Expressing shock over how the opposition and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were wooing the elected representatives, he suggested all the political parties to shun the politics of vested interests and make decisions in the larger interests of the country. He went on to say that the new government and the opposition should give due consideration to the war-weary areas to provide the people of the area with the basic necessities of life.
Dawar said that despite carrying out multiple military operations in the tribal areas; the recent surge in target killing had raised serious questions on the success of the military offensives. “We need nothing but to live with dignity and honour like those in other parts of the country; hence steps should be taken to cleanse the area of miscreants,” Wazir added.
Answering a question, both the newly-elected lawmakers made it clear that they were a part of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) and Manzoor Pashteen was their leader.
They said that they would raise voice for the voiceless and oppressed irrespective of their caste, creed and religion.
