Jirga observes Black Day against Fata merger

JAMRUD: The Khyber Qaumi Jirga (KQJ) on Monday staged a rally and observed Black Day against the merger of erstwhile Fata into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Besides a large number of people, KQJ chief Malik Bismillah Khan, Malik Wilayat Shah Kukikhel, Malik Nazar Muhammad, Malik Sardar Azam, Hazrat Wali Afridi, Shah Khalid Afridi and others attended the rally.

The protest rally was started from Jamrud tehsil and later it turned into a big public meeting at the historic Bab-e-Khyber.The speakers demanded immediate separation of tribal districts from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying the merger had compounded their problems.

They termed the merger a historic blunder and said that tribal areas were merged without taking the local people into confidence.The speakers said the government had failed to honour the promises and commitments made with the people of the tribal areas before enforcement of the merger plan.

Demanding a separate province consisting of merged districts, the Jirga chief said only the status of a separate province could help alleviate the miseries and sufferings of the militancy-affected people of tribal areas.