Daily Times

Islamabad: Despite the passage of the 31st Constitutional Amendment which nullifies the draconian Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), the defunct political administration of North Waziristan has sent members of the Wazir Kam Sarobi clan a warning under Section 40 of the colonial-era law, demanding that the tribe must take collective responsibility for the recent murder of an administration official and hand over those responsible, or face strict action.

The notification, a copy of which is available with Daily Times, addresses members of the Wazir Kam Sarobi clan, and says that Political Muharar Hameed Ullah was killed in their territory therefore they had 24 hours to hand over those responsible. Failure to do so would result in serious consequences for the tribe, including imprisonment of the tribals and suspension of their privileges, the notification adds.

Earlier this week, Political Muharar Hameedullah and Levies personnel were patrolling the area when unidentified men attacked them. Hameedullah was killed in the attack, while the Levies personnel were critically injured.

It is interesting to note that the notice has been issued at a time when the FATA has been merged with Khyber Pakhtun Khwa and the FCR has been demolished following endorsement by the president of Pakistan.

Commenting on the legal grounds of the notification, senior lawyer Ijaz Momand wondered why the political administration had sent a warning to the people of the area under a defunct law. It is totally illegal as the FCR holds no authority, he said, adding that the political administration of North Waziristan had sent the people an illegal notice.

Daily Times made various attempts to obtain a version from the political administration of North Waziristan, but no one was available to comment on the issue.

Published in Daily Times, June 8^th 2018.