Fata legislators may demand provincial status
ISLAMABAD: The legislators of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) will oppose any bid for merger with the NWFP and prefer the status of a separate province instead.
Sources close to independent Fata lawmakers, both in the Senate as well as in the National Assembly, told The News here on Thursday that they would not support any move to make Fata a part of the province.
“However, we may consider a proposal to make the tribal belt the fifth province of Pakistan, after allaying our apprehensions,” they maintained. After the general elections, the matter had come up for discussion among the newly-elected lawmakers and there was a consensus on adopting a unified approach on the issue, sources said in reply to a question.
MNA Munir Orakzai, who is the Fata independent group’s parliamentary leader in the National Assembly, confirmed to The News that they were fiercely opposed to such a merger. “It is quite likely that side by side with the naming of the NWFP as Pakhtoonkhwa, a proposal could be tossed for Fata becoming part of it, but we are people’s representatives and we know they will not support such an initiative,” he maintained.
He argued that problems would compound in case of a merger, as already the issue of 25 villages of Mohmand Agency was pending for the last 25 years. The provincial government claims, these villages belong to it, whereas the villagers insist on remaining part of the agency.
In such a scenario, how could a government or a party convince Fata’s some five million people to agree to an entirely new arrangement, the lawmaker emphasised. Fata comprises seven agencies and six frontier regions.
He said that they and a like-minded group of senators could agree to making Fata another province, but not without preserving their traditional outlook and customs. The first formal agreement was signed between the British rulers and tribal elders way back in 1901 and then another accord was inked between Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the tribal chieftains in 1945, Orkazai said.
Orakzai advocated hectic consultations with all the stake-holders, as he added an honourable status was very dear to the tribal people and there would be no compromise on that in any case. “Imposed decisions are always counter-productive and we must remember it,” he argued.
He vehemently brushed aside the impression that their opposition was aimed at safeguarding their own interests, which they might lose in case of Fata’s merger with the province. Awami National Party’s Central Information Secretary Zahid Khan told this correspondent that his party was all out for the merger, as he believed this was the possible solution to long-standing problems the tribal belt faced.
Substantiating his contention, he said that people in the tribal areas were more than willing to be a part of the province, saying the areas should be opened up for political parties and the media to find out the factual position.
To a question, he called for integration of Fata, following extensive consultations with local stakeholders, into the NWFP as a provincially administered tribal area (Pata), under executive control of the province and jurisdiction of the regular provincial and national court system and with representation in the provincial legislature.Asked what could be the opinion of PPP and PML-N on this issue, he said that being the mainstream political parties, they would respect the people’s aspirations.
Source: The News
Date:4/4/2008
” 
” 
” 
” 
” 
