The government to introduce FATA reforms immediately : Siraj ul Haq

Lahore : The FATA Political Alliance has called upon the government to introduce FATA reforms immediately and has expressed its dissatisfaction over the proposal of the FATA reforms committee that the reforms be implemented over a period of five to ten years.

The demand was put forth by the Ameer, Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Senator Sirajul Haq, at a joint press conference with the leaders of all the parties after a Jirga at  Al-Markaz Peshawar. Those present at the press conference included President FATA Political Alliance Nisar Mohmand, general secretary Ejaz Afridi, JI provincial chief Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, ANP leader Shah Hussain Shinwari, and PPP’s Hazrat Wali Afridi.

The JI chief said the Jirga also called for immediate census in the tribal areas saying that development activity in the area been held up due to census.

He said the FATA political alliance had demanded that FATA be merged into Khyber P. before the 2018 elections so that the tribal areas could get representation in the provincial assembly.

Sirajul Haq said the tribal Jirga had demanded a special Package of Rs. Five hundred billion for development in view of the strategic importance of the area from the point of view of national defense.

He said that the tribal areas had been badly devastated due to the operations and special package was needed for their rapid development.

He said the  Jirga and the tribal people wanted desired that the affairs of the tribal areas be handled by the provincial secretariat instead of the FATA secretariat.

While endorsing the report of the FATA Reforms committee headed by Sartaj Aziz presented in the National Assembly in most aspects, the tribal Jirga put forth its proposals to ensure effective and speedy implementation of the proposed reforms.

Expressing deep concern over the blockade of the national identity cards by NADRA , he demanded that the CNIC of the people in the Khyber P, must be prepared on war footing. he JI chief termed the permit system and the transit system as the root cause of corruption and demanded their abolition.

The Jirga called for raising the quote for the tribal students in the colleges and universities all over the country and also for setting up separate women colleges and universities besides medical colleges in tribal areas.

Sirajul Haq saluted the tribal elders for their services for the country and the tribal areas. He appreciated their complete unity for deciding their future. He said the tribal people had defended the country during the last seventy years.

The JI chief said that the representatives of all the political parties from FATA had placed a common agenda before the government in November last year and the government had set up a committee headed by the Prime Minister’s Advisor Sartaj Aziz to give its recommendations on this score. He said that the political parties had supported the report submitted by the Sartaz Aziz committee presented in the National Assembly but had made some suggestions in different matters.

Sirajul Haq said that the reforms in FATA could be held up if there was change of government, therefore, these must be implemented on emergency basis. .