ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a seminar on Thursday said FATA required to get rid of FCR and executive orders from Islamabad.
Peace in rest of Pakistan was conditional to the peace in FATA, which was again conditional to the peace in Afghanistan. This was a consensus among speakers and participants at a seminar “The Merger of FATA”, arranged by Shaheed Bhutto Foundation, at SZABIST, Islamabad.
The seminar was presided by Senator Farhatullah Babar and addressed by Senator Sajid Hussain Turi, Senator Rubina Khalid, Akhundzada Chattan, Ayaz Wazir, Afrasiab Khattak, Asif Khan, Anita Mehsud. It was attended by representatives from tribes of FATA, political parties, civil society activists, academia and citizens.
Babar was very passionate as he spoke with his concluding remarks that, an opened door on the reforms of FATA must not be closed, as FATA needed to get rid of colonial baggage of FCR and executive orders from Islamabad. For this, he opined that the drivers of change in FATA were its own people and no other actors, who were politicizing the proposed merger, at its critical time when there was a consensus across country on its board-based reforms, most preferably its conditional and gradual merger with the KP.
In his speech, analyst Ayaz Wazir advocated that in the light of broader and longer interests the demand of a separate province carried more weight, as with that option, FATA would have an access to more resources and representation. However, this option was strongly opposed by other speakers and attendees. On which, he responded that, instead of a merger of FATA with KP, a separate province would be more beneficial and futuristic. For this, as an option, no one should grossly overrule or discard that.
Turi, who belongs to FATA, seconded the option of a merger instead of other options – either referendum or status quo, as he argued be proceeded without any delay, otherwise, since last seventy years, FATA was stuck in between rule of law or as otherwise, negatively known in rest of county and abroad.
He also suggested several points for its inclusion in the proposed Rawaj Act that had to replace as and when FCR is discarded with the proposed reform package. He emphasized more on the latest census, resource allocation, developmental package and an issue of IDPs that needed rehabilitation, before any reform package on the fate of Fata.
Rubina praised the reform package on FATA and provided a critical appraisal on its way-forward. On which, she viewed that the federal government was unclear and lacked clear-headed plan on its way-forward, creating more confusion and doubts.
Chattan, PPP leader from FATA, demanded that like naming of NWFP to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, FATA also needed a renewed identity that it lacked since the birth of country. Before any reforms, he demanded a three-pronged solution. For which he asked for peace in FATA, which he thought was dependent on the complete rehabilitation of dislocated IDPs, added with their basic human rights, as he lamented FATA, lacked on those three fronts.
Asif Khan criticized Fazlur Rehman and Mehmood Khan Achakzai, on becoming last-minute barriers towards FATA reforms. He argued that it could jeopardise the overall process that was turning into a big success, if inked finally, with diversified inputs and taking on-board all political forces.
Anita, a PTI activist, advocated the merger of FATA with KP, as she thought, an age-old mindset and mechanisms were the real barrier for making it happen. For this, she appealed all forces to second the merger of FATA with KP, as in her opinion also as the daughter of a tribe from FATA, it was the most appropriate option to move with.
Earlier, Sikandar Ali Hullio, chief executive, Shaheed Bhutto Foundation (SBF), welcomed all participants and briefed that the SBF has been closely monitoring and facilitating the reform package on FATA in both technical and opinion-making capacities. He also told that the merger and FATA and its way-forward needed marathon deliberations, before its announcement. For which, SBF was making all possible efforts including that particular seminar which gathered all sections of the society.
