Fata Sectt accused of corruption

PESHAWAR: Accusing the Fata Secretariat officials of huge corruption, People’s Accountability Forum Fata has demanded the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), provincial Ehtesab Commission and anti-corruption authorities to probe the massive embezzlement of funds meant for development of the tribal areas.

Addressing a joint news conference here on Friday, chairman of the forum Engineer Ghani Gul Mehsud, coordinator for Bajaur Agency Sirajuddin Khan, Malik Inayatullah and Sahibzada Bahauddin said that the federal government had approved funds amounting to Rs850 million for peace laskhars in South Waziristan but the officers in the Fata Secretariat and other influential people embezzled theses funds, they alleged.

When Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) started investigating the matter, the officials of the secretariat obtained a stay order from the court on the plea that Fata did not come under the domain of FIA.

They said the federal ombudsman has given clear orders that the FIA, NAB and Anti-Corruption Establishment can take steps against corruption in the tribal areas like settled parts of the country.

They said that Fata had become a den of corruption. The tribal people rendered great sacrifices in the war against terrorism. But the funds meant for the reconstruction and development of tribal areas and rehabilitation of the tribal people are massively embezzled and no one is taking notice of it, they added. They further said that no development activity could be started in the tribal areas, due to which there is unrest among the tribal people. They urged the government to take immediate notice of the situation and rid them of the corrupt practices of government officials.