Daily Times

KHYBER AGENCY: To settle the issue of merging of Federally Administer Tribal Area (FATA) into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) or to take up another alternative choice, FATA Grand Alliance (FGA) invited opponent factions for a dialog to solve the issue. Speaking at a press conference held at Jamrud Press Club on Tuesday Malik Salahuddin Koki Khel,Malik Ismael, Malik Dawood, Malik Zer Muhammad and others said that the 30th December protest held at China Chowk, Islamabad under the banner of FATA Supreme Council proved that majority tribesmen approved their stance of rejecting tribal belt in KP.
They added that instead of merging they would prefer a separate province, “Qabailistan” for the tribal and urged the adversary bloc to convince them or to be convinced.

“If making of a separate province is impractical in prevailed situation, than Gigit-Baltistan like independence council will be acceptable to the tribesmen”, they suggested.

They thanked leaders of all mainstream political parties including Jamiat Ullema-e-Islam, Fazal head Maulana Fazal Rehman for their participation in their agitation in Islamabad last day and invited all their opponents groups to resolve the issue through dialog in best interest of the tribal.
The tribal elders resented patwaar and police systems, functional in the settle areas and warned that they would let no one to usurp minerals in the tribal belt.

Published in Daily Times, January 3^rd 2018.