After a successful Operation Zarb-e-Azab, it is government's duty to rehabilitate the displaced people with dignity
KARACHI: The people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and those of the tribal areas — Fata — have proven many times that they are patriotic citizens like those of other parts of Pakistan. The people of Fata agreed to annex their territory to Pakistan on the request of the Quaid-e-Azam at the time of independence. Trusting them, Quaid-e-Azam withdrew forces from the country’s western borders. The tribal people secured and defended the border, just as the Pakistan Army would have done. They were in the frontline in the first war that Pakistan fought against India in 1948 and, as a result, we were able to wrest Azad Kashmir from our eastern neighbour’s control. The tribesmen were treated as an unpaid military force and fought against the USSR during the first Afghan war. When Pakistan launched Operation Zarb-e-Azb against terrorist organisations, these tribes not only supported the operation, but also set up a lashkar to help the army in its war against terrorists. Due to the operation, thousands of tribal families were displaced. It is not easy to live in a perpetual state of war. People cannot be expected to keep leaving their homes, farms, businesses, jobs, relatives and the education of their children. But that is exactly what the people of Fata have done over the years. After the successful execution of Operation Zarb-e-Azab, it is the duty of the government to rehabilitate the displaced people with dignity.
The government has announced billions of rupees via the Kisan package to provide relief to farmers. Why can’t such packages be offered for the rehabilitation of these displaced people, to help them build their houses, hospitals, roads, canals, schools and other basic infrastructure? Being displaced from one’s home results in trauma, adversely affecting the economic, social, cultural and mental well-being of the person suffering. If the government fails to resolve these issues, frustration among the people of Fata will increase, which will lead to extremist behaviour and the shattering of trust, resulting in their exploitation by terrorists. Constitutionally, Fata is a part of Pakistan. Fata also has representation in the National Assembly and the Senate, but the laws and regulations passed by the National Assembly do not apply there. Furthermore, there is no jurisdiction of the Supreme Court in the tribal areas; the people of Fata are governed by the British-imposed Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR), which is against the basic rights of citizens granted by the Constitution of Pakistan. People of the tribal areas are also citizens of Pakistan. They need immediate reforms — not just promises and committees. The government should abolish the FCR and rightfully grant the tribal areas their due status.
Fayyaz Salih Hussain
Published in The Express Tribune, December 12th, 2015.
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