Daily Times

PESHAWAR: Former MNA Hameed Ullah Jan on Friday has strongly opposed the merger of Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and demanded of the government to bestow on the tribal belt a separate province.

He asked the Fata Reforms Committee (FRC) Chairman Sartaj Aziz to apologize from the tribesmen for using rebellion word for tribal people. Tribal people neither made rebellion nor they are danger to the future of Pakistan but a very peace loving and allegiance to their country.

Addressing a news conference at Peshawar Press Club, he said that the KP had already economically weak and could not bear the burden of 10 million tribal populations. The KP had also weak system and its patwari system, hygiene, hospital, health, education were also not good for the settled areas of the province, he added. Arguing his favour for a separate province to FATA, former Federal Minister said that through a referendum the fate of the tribal areas should be decided and make sure the participation of every tribesmen in that plebiscite.

He claimed that hardly 25 per cent tribal people favored merging of tribal areas into KP while the rest wanted a separate province. Accompanied by tribal elders including Bazar Gul, president Khyber Union, Marad Saqi, chief organizer and other office bearers of Fata Grand Alliance, the ex-MNA said they wanted the complete the abolishment of Frontier Crime Regulation (FCR) as well as all the autonomous powers of political agents and the establish of an independent elected council.

“For the provision of speedy justice to tribal people, FATA courts or FATA Jirga courts should be formed with the consultation of autonomous and independent elected council”, he said and added that all the disputes and cases of tribesmen should be resolve via the ritual and customs of tribal.

They warned that if the federal government and FRC members take any steps against the tribesmen wishes they would strongly oppose, saying that they would not merge Fata into KP on any condition and would never compromise on the tribal customs. He demanded of the government to conduct local government elections in Fata and announce package for the development of tribal belt.

Terror bid foiled: The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) unit foiled a bid of terrorism on Friday by defusing a four kilograms explosive device planted in Gulbahar area.

The police sources said some unidentified miscreants had planted a bomb near the busy pathway of Gulbahar area which was recovered by policemen on duty.