Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Former President Asif Zardari on Tuesday called for early implementation of political reforms in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas to give its people their legitimate rights.

“Delaying reforms any longer in FATA will not avoid a problem; it will only invite a crisis,” he warned in a statement ahead of his return to Pakistan this week.

“For far too long the patriotic people of tribal areas have been mistreated under the vestige of colonial rule and denied their basic rights. It is a grave anomaly that the constitution describes tribal areas as part of Pakistan territory but the same constitution denies them their basic political rights. This anomaly must end if the tribal areas have to be mainstreamed and its people treated as equal citizens of the state,” the statement added. Zardari said that in view of historic, economic, cultural and political reasons the merger of tribal areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and extending jurisdiction of superior courts to it were rational and logical steps forward that must be taken without delay.

He also said that on a number of occasions in the past the tribal people have spoken their mind about these vital reforms through local jirgas, in parliament as well as on the platforms of political parties.

“One such grand Jiga was also held in the Presidency when I was the President,” he said. Calls for referendum in tribal areas will achieve nothing but delay and possible reverse the reforms process, he said. “There is no provision in the constitution for referendum in tribal areas which provides for ascertaining the wishes of people for structural changes through Jirgas only.”