For securing the support of coalition partners, the Panama Leaks beleaguered government is bartering away the political reforms and human rights of people of tribal areas, said PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar at a seminar in Islamabad on Saturday.
The seminar “Backtracking on FATA reforms” organised by the Shaheed Bhutto Foundation at the National Press Club was also addressed by MNAs, Sahjee Gul Afridi, Sajjad Turi and Akhunzada Chattan besides civil society activists.
The first signs of government’s ill-intentions became clear when, ignoring the reforms package approved by the cabinet on March 2, it did not bring in the Parliament the constitutional amendment to extend the jurisdiction of High Court to FATA. Then it was declared the other legislations already introduced will not be taken up during the on-going session and merger option was quietly rejected by ambiguously referring only to ‘mainstreaming’.
To make it worst, Federal Minister General Qadir asked the agitating FATA MPs not to make too much fuss as the military was against the reforms.
The final proclamation of the demise of reforms was made on Friday by the deafening silence on FATA reforms in the budget. No resources have been allocated for the implementation of reform package, he said.
As of today all political parties, except two non-FATA based coalition partners of the government, want merger in KPK. The elected parliamentarians of FATA who contested elections promising reforms want it too, he said
The provincial assembly of the province in which FATA is to be merged has passed unanimous resolutions.
A Peshawar High Court verdict has proposed constitutional amendment to extend jurisdiction of superior courts to FATA and a private member’s bill giving effect to this verdict has been passed unanimously by the Senate Committee on Law and Justice, he said. The GHQ has at least publicly declared support for reforms.
So why the roll back and who is responsible he asked and said that clearly the Nawaz government is responsible. It is the government which has killed the package to placate its two coalition partners, he said. The question as to why the coalition partners were opposing should be asked.
However some people openly opposed merger and reforms using various pretexts. Some are opposed because they fear that in a reformed FATA merger with KPK it will no longer be possible for the mosque and pulpit to dominate political discourse in the tribal areas, he said. But change has to come however uncomfortable to some and must be welcomed, he said. Some others are opposed to reforms citing border controversy with Afghanistan.
He said that Article 1 of the Constitution clearly states that tribal areas are part of the territory of Pakistan, unlike some other part not so specifically mentioned in the Constitution. Those opposing FATA reforms on ground of border dispute are actually asserting that a country having border disputes cannot extend its laws to any part of its territory.
Senator Farhatullah Babar said that peace in tribal areas was critical for reforms. Peace in FATA was linked to peace in Afghanistan and unless we genuinely strove for peace in Afghanistan the goal of peace in tribal areas and in Pakistan will continue to elude us.
He said if Nawaz refused to barter away the rights of the people of tribal areas, the predominant slogan of today ‘Go Nawaz Go’ might give way to “Qadam baraho, FATA reforms karo, hum tuhaare saath hain”.
