Daily Times

PESHAWAR: Tribal elders and convener of Pakhtunkhwa Ulasi Tehrek (PUT) on Saturday announced defying of the 1973 constitution of Pakistan and demanded to form an autonomous and sovereign constitution in the light of 23rd March 1940 resolution wherein all the nations of the country will be given equal share.

Addressing a news conference here at Press Club, Dr Said Alam Mahsud expressed his grave concern over statement of the former Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) for suggesting merging of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) into KP through referendum, which he condemned and said that was tantamount to push the already downtrodden people.

The statement, he said was totally illogical as the ex-governor did not want to bring the trouble-stricken and militancy hit people of tribal region into mainstream. He added that ex-governor wanted to hate ethnic bases and a bid too to keep division among the Pakhtun. However, he said the merging would definitely bring Pakhtun on one platform.

He alleged that the statement of Mehtab Ahmad Abbasi was a conspiracy being hatched by the mindset of Punjab who he added had been occupying the resources of Pukhtun, which is not bearable and the time has come to snatch their rights from the grabbers.

He said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government itself had formed Fata Reforms Committee (FRC) and the committee had presented its report in which it was clearly mentioned that majority of tribesmen wanted merging of Fata into KP but the former governor demands for referendum. The referendum, he said was nothing but a drama.

He added that the entire Pakistani nation should be treated equally and give them equal representation in national assembly, senate, army, navy, air force, Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), foreign offices and Federal Corporation.

Flanked by Haji Gul Rahman of Mohmand Agency, Malik Ghulam Hussain Bangsh, Yousaf Anwar of Pakistan Mazdor Kisan Party and Ghalib Afridi of Khyber Agency, Dr Said Alam said that they would write a letter to all the eight political parties who are raising voice for the Pakhtun nation rights aimed at restoring the their unification and would also conduct meetings with their leaders.

“After that we will also write a letter to Mahmood Khan Achakzai to convene the session of those political parties and restore their alliance” he maintained and demanded a united Pakhtunkhwa province from Chitral to Bolan and from the Margala hills to Waziristan.

“We also appeal to federal government to arrange a referendum for the Pakhtun united province and ascertain the opinion of Pakhtun living in FATA, KP, Balochistan, Indus river and Margala whether they want that province or not”, he said.