Opposition to Fata’s merger with KP

PESHAWAR: The Fata Grand Alliance on Sunday rejected the proposed merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and threatened to leave the country if the government went ahead with the decision without the consent of the tribespeople. A large number of tribal elders from Fata attended the jirga held at the Bagh-e-Naran in Hayatabad in Peshawar. Malik Khan Marjan from North Waziristan led the jirga. Malik Salahuddin Kukikhel, Malik Waris Khan and Malik Abdur Razzaq Shinwari spoke on the occasion.

The tribal elders said that it was not acceptable to the tribal people if the government took any decision without taking the tribespeople onboard.

Malik Khan Marjan said the prime minister and the chief of army staff should respect the opinion of the tribal elders and those who were in majority.

He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led federal government was intentionally ignoring the sentiments of the tribal people who rendered sacrifices for the peace and stability of Pakistan.

He said the tribal people would start agitation if the decision was imposed on them. Malik Khan Marjan said they had contacted Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party head Mehmood Khan Achakzai who would meet the tribal elders in Peshawar on December 20.

He said they were planning to start grand jirgas in every tribal agency and stage protests against the government.

Malik Waris Khan Afridi said they would organise a sit-in at Jamrud in Khyber Agency from next week to record their peaceful protest against the decision. He said all the personnel of Khassadar force from Fata would join them in the protest and protest sit-in as Khassadars would lose their jobs if Fata was merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Tribal elders threatened that they would give a call to leave Fata and migrate to other countries if they were not consulted before deciding the future of Fata.