Fata merger with KP supported

PESHAWAR: Speakers and parliamentarians from the tribal areas on Monday supported the merger of the Federally Administered Trial Areas (Fata) into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

They said the merger would bring Fata into the mainstream and remove sense of deprivation among tribespeople. The support came during a roundtable conference titled ‘Integrating Fata: Issues and Challenges.’

The Shaheed Bhutto Foundation had organised the event in Islamabad. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader Senator Farhatullah Babar presided over the session.

In his opening remarks, Farhatullah Babar said that Fata needed to be de-colonised as it had been treated as a colony instead of a fully empowered administrative unit since the country came into existence.

He agreed to the proposal of appointing governor from tribal areas in future once Fata was merged with KP.

An analyst, Ayaz Wazir, lamented that Fata had always been treated like a stepchild. He said that tribespeople had given no representation in the Fata Reforms Committee.

A former bureaucrat, Khalid Aziz, said that Fata was the least developed area. He said that Fata should not become the Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (Pata) if integrated into KP.

He recalled that former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had first announced a comprehensive reforms package for Fata. Khalid Aziz demanded implementation of those reforms with some changes in light of the prevailing situation in tribal areas.

Senator Rubina Khalid of the PPP supported the demand for holding the local government elections in Fata, saying it would give credence to the voice of tribespeople.

Senator Sajid Hussain Turi from Khurram Agency lashed out at the present governing system. He said Fata was being run through a remote-control either from Fata Secretariat or Islamabad.

Member National Assembly Shaji Gul Afridi said that the previous reforms couldn’t be implemented in Fata.He demanded equal distribution of resources and representation for Fata after the proposed merger.