Fata’s demilitarisation, decolonisation recommended

ISLAMABAD: Senator Farhatullah Babar of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Monday said the way forward to bring the tribal areas into the national mainstream was to demilitarise, decolonise, and de-notify the undeclared status of the no-go area thrust upon it.

“Peace and progress will elude the tribal areas for decades as long as there is no peace in Afghanistan,” he said.“This calls for revisiting the Afghan policy, reining in the non-state actors and treating it as a sovereign and independent state,” he said while addressing at a seminar on ‘Integrating Fata: Issues and Challenges” organised by the Shaheed Bhutto Foundation to discuss the latest Fata reforms report tabled in parliament.

Experts and parliamentarians from Fata conditionally endorsed the proposed merger of Fata into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with a view to bringing the tribal areas into the mainstream and removing the prevailing sense of deprivation.

They said it was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who laid the foundation of a consultative and comprehensive reform package for Fata, which remained unfinished for the past four decades.  Senator Babar said though the latest reforms report had many weaknesses, it also had some positive points, which needed to be built upon.

“Parliament should critically review it and make solid recommendations for carrying out reforms in a structured manner in a given time-frame, he said.“Parliament should take the lead so that even if there is change in the government, the reform process is not reversed,” he added.

He said the report failed to transfer administrative and legislative powers from the president to parliament, retained the colonial structures of remote-controlled governance and made only cosmetic changes in the notorious FCR.

He said the Riwaj Act be brought in parliament. Parliamentary approval of the Riwaj Act without largely bringing it in conformity with the law will be a step backwards, he added.

He said there were strong arguments in favour of merger with Pakhtunkhwa. However, it can be done in a much shorter period and the proposed appointment of governor from tribal areas during the transition period will give them confidence.

“As a prelude to the merger, Fata should be given representation in the provincial assembly in the 2018 elections. After all the tribal people had representation in the then West Pakistan Assembly at the time of One Unit,” he added.

Senator Farhatullah Babar said to empower the people, local government be established in tribal agencies within a year.“As it heads toward merger, it makes sense that the local governments in Fata are set up under the KPK local bodies laws,” he said.

He called for the opening up of Fata and permission to journalists and parliamentary committees to visit the area which at present is denied.Babar strongly opposed the placement of Fata Development Authority under a Grade 22 chief executive from civil-military bureaucracy. “90-days, referendum and chief executive are notorious words,” he said.

He said for ascertaining the wishes of the tribal people, the Constitution of Pakistan provides a mechanism of jirga and warned against referendum.

“The title of chief executive of the Fata Development Authority is double-edged,” he warned. He said if a uniformed officer was appointed as the chief executive, he will sideline all civilian and judicial authorities, flaunting the title and recalled how Musharraf used this title to downplay his takeover in the beginning.

“Words and titles have meanings attached to them,” he  said. Babar said the Fata NFC share amounts to 600 billion rupees during 10 years and its utilisation should be through a mechanism that is transparent, competent, participatory and accountable to prevent wastage, corruption and vested interests.

“Elected officials and civilian agencies, under strong oversight, should be responsible for development instead of militarisation of development,” he added.

He welcomed the extension of jurisdiction of high court in the proposed reforms and proposed that in the event of conflict between Riwaj and fundamental rights and normal law, the high court will uphold the latter.

Senior analyst Ayaz Wazir lamented that Fata was always treated as a step-child by the centre. He pointed that in one of Fata Reforms Committees, no Pashto speaking member was added.

Seasoned bureaucrat and analyst Khalid Aziz said Fata was theleast developed area in terms of all human development indicators. Therefore, he suggested, it should not be another PATA but an integral and segmenting part of the KP.

Quoting his own example of career, he shared that when he was the political agent of North Waziristan Agency in 1976, it was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who visited, consulted and launched a comprehensive package of reforming Fata, which according to him was binned and needs to be implemented in the light of latest developments.

Senator Rubina Khalid seconded the option of local government elections in Fata, as it would add more credence to the voice of Fata, similar to Political Parties Act 2012, which provided political space to political and representative forces in Fata.

Faisal Kareem Kundi, former deputy speaker of National Assembly, criticised the transition period of five-years, as proposed in the Fata Reforms Report and demanded that, as and when proposed integration happens with the KP, it should be made smooth and realistic and no daydreaming or politicking can be afforded, looking at Fata’s critical history and juncture where is stands today.