Daily Times

Merging of ex-tribal region is against the constitution of Pakistan and has been done in haste and without consent of the tribesmen.

This was stated by Central General Sectary of Qabail Tahafuz Movement (QTM) Sardar Asghar Khan Afridi while expressing his views in “Meet the Press” here at Landi Kotal Press Club on Friday.

He said that since creation of Pakistan, tribal areas had been assured of their separate status but ironically in 2018 the then government through an undemocratic way merged the tribal agencies and therefore they initiated QTM to safeguard interests of tribal people.

“We have filed case in Appellate Court against the merging and time will come that all unlawful acts will be revised and we will win a separate status for our people”, Afridi remarked.

Flanked by Malik Daud and Haji Naseer he maintained that according to the Fata reforms, they had been promised to retain status- co of the Fata and priority would be given to develop infra-structure in the area but they had been deceived in the name of merging.

Contrary to Constitution of the country, tribal agencies had been forcibly merged without prior approval of tribesmen he added and saying as pre-planning residents of ex-tribal region had been deliberately kept ignorant to halt them to raise voice for their rights.

He called upon the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to stop interference in the merged districts till decision of the Supreme Court.

He raised objection on erecting of jails and imposing of police system in the ex-tribal agencies and said residents of the down towns were unsatisfied with the it so how it would resolve their miseries.

From Mohmand to Waziristan, the tribesmen had stood unit to get their due rights through legal and democratic ways and in near future they would succeed to avail their respectable status, he added.