Dropping Fata Reforms from cabinet meeting agenda hailed

KHAR: The elders of Utmankhel and Tarkhani tribes of Bajaur Agency on Wednesday hailed the decision of dropping the report of the Fata Reforms Committee from the cabinet agenda and demanded provincial status for tribal areas.

Speaking at a press conference here, Malik Hifzur Rehman, Malik Abdul Nasir, Malik Bahadur Shah and others thanked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai for what they argued dropping the Fata Reforms Report from the cabinet agenda.

They said that Nawaz Sharif, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Mehmood Achakzai won the hearts of the tribespeople by holding the decision on the future of Fata. They criticised the Fata Reforms Committee for the reported use of words ‘terrorists and rebels’ for tribespeople in the report.

They said that members of the committee held meeting with selected and irrelevant people and tried to impose the opinion and thoughts of some people on the entire population of tribal areas. They demanded province status for Fata or setting up of a legislative council to enable the tribespeople to legislate for themselves.