Seeking reform: Political alliance demands merger of FATA with K-P
The FATA Political Alliance has reiterated the need to put an end to the special status of the tribal belt with immediate effect and merge it with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
This was said during a meeting of the alliance held in the city on Monday. Aijaz Afridi, deputy secretary general of the alliance, said tribespeople have been deeply troubled by the conflict that has gripped the region.
“The people of Fata are not considered to be citizens of this country,” he said. “Therefore, Fata should be merged with K-P to address their grievances.” The deputy secretary general added the displaced population should be immediately rehabilitated.
“The rehabilitation should be carried out with dignity and their losses should be compensated,” he said. Afridi added, “The people of Waziristan cannot even bury their dead in their ancestral graveyards. Even if permission is granted, only three people of a family are allowed to enter the agency to perform their last rites.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 1st, 2016.