Daily Times

KHYBER AGENCY: Jamiat Ullema-e-Islam-S (JUI-S) ameer Maulana Sami ul Haq said that for the last 70 years, tribesmen had been subjugated in their own county and deprived of their fundamental rights.

He said that merging Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) was the only solution to remove that sense of deprivation.

He expressed these views while addressing a FATA reforms gathering held at Hospital Square Landi Kotal on Friday.

A large number of party workers, ex-parliamentarians, tribesmen, political volunteers and masses participated in the moot.

Maulana Samiul Haq said that just like citizens in other parts of the country, tribesmen should be granted their basic rights so that they could live with respect.

For the last 70 years, our tribes had been confined and had their fundamental rights negated, he said, adding that JUI-S would join hands with the tribes to get their rights.

“Merging of the tribal belt with KP is not only as per wishes of the tribes but it will guarantee their liberties and will ease their hardships,” Maulana remarked.

Samiul Haq demanded imposition of Shariah in the whole country and said Islam divine law ensured rights of every single citizen of the country and that they had been striving for its implementation for the last 30 years.

He maintained that presence of America in Afghanistan caused unrest in Pakistan and tribesmen suffered a lot due to the war in Afghanistan. He stressed for restoration of cordial relations between two neighbouring countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan and disapproved the acts that defamed the tribesmen.

Member National Assembly (MNA) Shahjee Gul Afridi said that in the near future, FATA would get freedom from the draconian law, Frontier Crime Regulation (FCR), and would be merged with KP. He urged the locals to vote for those candidates who were true representatives of the tribes.

He said that friendly relations with Afghanistan were in the best interest of Pakistan and peace in Pakistan was interlinked with calmness in Afghanistan.

JUI-S provincial ameer Maulana Yusaf Shah,Maulana Atiq,Maulana Wadanullah and others also spoke on the occasion.

Published in Daily Times, November 18^th 2017.