Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) Ameer Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday said that the federal government should consult tribesmen on the political status of FATA instead of forcing its decisions.
“We welcome the suggestions given by the FATA Reforms Committee regarding the future status of FATA, but the opinion of tribesmen must not be ignored,” he said, while addressing a jirga in Peshawar’s Tehmash Stadium.
He said the government was responsible for the problems facing the people living in tribal areas. “They have not been properly compensated for the damages they have suffered over the years due to military operations. The brave people of FATA do not need foreign aid, but they need peace and stability in their region,” he said.
Rehman said that instead of amending the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR), the reforms committee had suggested to merge FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “They have started implementing this decision, which is not acceptable to the people of FATA. FATA is a war-torn area. It direly needs all kinds of facilities. A referendum should be held to decide its future,” he said.
“The report prepared by the FATA Reforms Committee is based on lies. In this report, Sartaj Aziz has claimed that 90 percent people are in favor of FATA’s merger into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said.
Fazl said that the committee had also claimed that its recommendations had been supported by 19 elected representative from FATA. “Why have these lawmakers not signed the committee’s report?” he asked.
He said that the people of FATA were peace-loving.
“The people of FATA need basic amenities and reconstruction. They are not in a position to decide their political future right now,” he said.
Rehman said a grand political jirga had been held during the previous government’s tenure. “All political parties had empowered a tribal jirga to decide FATA’s future. However, these political parties are silent over the issue now,” he said.
