Question hour: 27 non-career diplomats posted abroad, NA told

"You are giving people of Fata a merger option while they have no homes," MNA Dr GG Jamal

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly was informed on Wednesday that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has appointed a total of 27 non-career diplomats in key foreign missions – half of them are retired armed forces officers.

“Some 27 non-career diplomats had been appointed during the current tenure of the PML-N – 14 retired armed forces officers while 13 were retired officers of the foreign service.

Some 11 out of 27 non-career diplomats – appointed from June 2013 till date – have currently been representing Pakistan in different missions abroad, while 14 relinquished the charge after the expiry of their contracts.

While Maj-Gen (retd) Tariq Rashid Khan and Maj-Gen (retd) Waqar Ahmed have been designated as ambassadors to Brunei Darussalam and Libya, respectively, they have yet to assume their offices.

The information was shared with the lower house during the question hour session. Currently serving non-career diplomats include Jalil Abbas Jilani (USA), Masood Khalid (China), Rafat Mahdi (Spain), Arif Mahmood (Serbia), Kamran Shafi (Cuba), Lt-Gen (retd) Shafaat Ullah Shah (Jordon), Vice Admiral (retd) Sayyid Khawar Ali (Maldives), Lt-Gen (retd) Agha Muhammad Umer Farooq (Nigeria), Maj Gen (retd) Syed Shakeel Hussain (Sri Lanka), Air Marshal (retd) Athar Hussain Bukhari (Syria) and former DG ISPR Maj-Gen (retd) Athar Abbas (Ukraine).

Also, lawmakers from the Federally-Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) urged the government to adopt evolutionary approach on the issue of merger of the tribal areas in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, in addition to focusing on electoral rights and rehabilitation of temporarily displaced persons (TDPs).

MNA from the Bajaur Shahabuddin Khan, while taking part in the debate on Fata Reforms Committee report, said about 95% people in Fata wanted a merger with K-P.

“Nobody cares about the human rights of the people of that area and many in the House wanted a referendum to be held on the merger issue,” he said, pleading, “For God’s sake, let the reforms pass and abolish the FCR.”

While discussion was underway, the majority of lawmakers left the House with only 30 members remaining. Pointing towards the empty benches of the treasury, a PTI lawmaker commented that it showed the seriousness of government on such an important topic.

Nasir Afridi, another MNA from the Khyber tribal area, questioned unbridled powers of political agents who, he said, were the executive, the judicial officer and the treasury all at the same time and nobody had questioned that role.

Afridi also suggested that the FCR needed to be abolished and the people of Fata should be given what they want.

Dr GG Jamal of Orakzai said the word ‘A’ in Fata stands for “Administered”. “It is the only part of the country which is administered,” while the rest was being governed through people’s power.

He said those who wanted to see an overnight change in Fata should dare go to the Orakzai Agency where the entry was not allowed without a permit and after registration.

“How can you merge such an area in K-P all of a sudden,” he asked, suggesting that the government should first provide basic necessities to TDPs and rehabilitation should be the priority.

“You are giving them a merger option while they have no homes,” Jamal said, warning that the government should take evolutionary instead of a revolutionary approach.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th, 2016.