Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to introduce a bill in the parliament early next week that seeks extension of the jurisdiction of the Peshawar High Court to the tribal regions, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Sartaj Aziz said on Friday.

Aziz, who headed a committee to introduce reforms in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), told a joint press conference with Minister of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) Abdul Qadir Baloch that modalities of the extension in jurisdiction were being worked out with the PHC.

Currently, there is no judicial system in the tribal regions and the FATA people have no right of appeal against the decision of the political agents, who enjoy a lot of powers. The people in the militancy-hit FATA have long been at the mercy of the political agents and the British-era infamous Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR). The people in FATA still live under the defective system of ‘collective responsibility’ under which the whole tribe is punished for the crime of an individual.

The SAFRON minister said the government has appointed a chief operating officer (COO), who will be in-charge of FATA reforms process and the related affairs, like socio-economic activities, political mainstreaming and security. The additional chief secretary of FATA will work as the COO. Sources say the COO will report to the governor, who is the federation’s representative in KP.

The minister said instructions have already been issued to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor regarding the abolition of the FCR and the process in this regard will start next week. “Abolition of the FCR is our priority number one,” the minister said.

He said the permit (rahdari) system will also be abolished from January 1, 2018, and the political authorities will not collect any tax on the goods entering the tribal regions.

About the merger of FATA with KP, Baloch said the process will be completed in five years. “It is difficult to give any specific timeframe for the merger,” he added.

Aziz and Baloch dispelled the impression that the government was moving ahead with the FATA reforms process due to pressure from political parties, student community and the civil society.

PTI chief Imran Khan has planned a FATA youth convention in Islamabad. Jamaat-e-Islami has also planned a long-march on Islamabad on December 10 to press for the implementation of the reforms. FATA political alliance has also announced support to the JI’s protest march.

Aziz said that local government elections in FATA have been proposed for next year after the general elections. He said 30 percent funds from the annual development programme will be spent through the local government system.

Published in Daily Times, December 9^th 2017.