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Halt operation or else, FATA MNAs tell Zardari

By Muhammad Bilal

ISLAMABAD: Parliamentarians from FATA on Thursday threatened to quit the ruling coalition if the military operation in the Tribal Areas was not stopped.

“We are so disappointed with this government that we will not support Asif Zardari. We might quit the coalition if the government doesn’t review its habit of lying,” FATA members’ parliamentary leader Munir Orakzai said.

He said the government had not kept its word of suspending the military operation during Ramazan.

Despite threatening to withdraw support for the PPP’s presidential candidate and to quit the coalition government, the FATA parliamentarians are still ambivalent about the presidential vote.

Talking to Daily Times on Thursday, Jawad Hussain, a member of the National Assembly (MNA) from Lower Orakzai, said that the FATA parliamentarians had not yet taken a final decision on supporting PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari’s candidature for Presidency. He said a meeting of FATA parliamentarians would be held today (Friday) to make a final announcement on the issue. Hussain said that the FATA members would either take a mutual decision to vote for any of the three presidential candidates, or allow the parliamentarians from the Tribal Areas to cast their vote individually. There are 20 FATA seats in parliament - 12 in the National Assembly and eight in the Senate. One FATA member - Syed Akhonzada Chitan from Bajaur - has already joined the PPP, while FATA Senator Hamidullah Jan Afridi is a member of the prime minister’s cabinet.

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