Tribal leaders favour FCR abolition
LANDIKOTAL: Speakers at a daylong seminar on Frontier Crimes Regulation Tuesday opposed amendments to the ‘Black Law’ and demanded its total abolition.
Addressing the seminar titled ‘FIR against FCR’ organised by the Landikotal Press Club here, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) political and religious leaders suggested that the existing FCR should be repealed and a new law according to the tribal traditions and customs be replaced.
Speaking on the occasion, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Fata chapter information secretary Said Wali Shah lauded Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani’s announcement regarding FCR repealing.
He also termed it totally against the basic human rights, saying that if FCR was replaced it would put a positive impact on the lives of tribesmen. Leader of the Awami National Party, Shah Hussain Shinwari opposed the British-inherited law and demanded its replacement.
He also congratulated the new coalition government, particularly the ANP central leader Asfandyar Wali Khan that he has construed the dream of Baacha Khan and Abdul Wali Khan who, he claimed had also struggled for the abolition of FCR.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Khyber Agency information secretary Sarwar Afridi said according to 1973 Constitution every amendment should be made with the consultation of Fata MNAs but the government had kept tribal people depressed for the last eight long years.
Farhad Shabab, Pakistan People’s Party Khyber Agency president said late PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto strongly desired to annul FCR and replace it with a system accepted to all the tribal people. He proposed elected Fata Council to make legislation for the tribal areas while opposed the merger of Fata into NWFP.
He said FCR was main hurdle in the development of Fata and through this law the political administration had always denied the basic rights to the tribesmen. Jamaat-e-Islami leader, Zarnoor Afridi said his party would bring Fata political leadership on a unified point to make changes in FCR, adding that establishment of elected Fata Council was in the best interest of tribal people.
He also said that clipping wings of political agent was the need of the hour. He said there were three views in the tribal areas about FCR: Some wanted to annul it and merge Fata into NWFP.
Secondly, some seeking amendments to FCR, demands an independent and autonomous Fata council, and thirdly, the political administration and the traditional ‘maliks’ are not willing to change even a single word of FCR. Tribal journalists Khyal Zaman, Sudhir Afridi, Fazlullah and Ashrafuddin Pirzada also spoke on the occasion and favoured amendments to FCR.
Source: The News
Date:4/2/2008
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