FATA reforms reversed due to Panama leaks

Govt is dithering in implementing reforms due to political expediency

ISLAMABAD: In order to secure the support of its coalition partners, the beleaguered PML-N government, in the wake of the Panamagate affair, is attempting to barter away the political reforms and human rights of people of the tribal areas.

This was stated by PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar at a seminar titled Backtracking on Fata Reforms organised by the Shaheed Bhutto Foundation at the National Press Club.

MNAs Sahjee Gul Afridi, Sajjad Turi and Akhunzada Chattan also spoke at the seminar besides civil society activists.

According to Babar the first visible signs of the government’s mala fide intentions became apparent when it ignored the reforms package approved by the cabinet on March 2, and failed to bring it to the parliament to make the requisite constitutional amendment to extend the jurisdiction of High Court to Fata.

Then it was declared that other legislations already introduced will not be taken up during the ongoing session and the merger option was quietly rejected by ambiguously referring to it as ‘mainstreaming’.

To exacerbate matters the Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch asked the agitating Fata MPs not to create a ruckus as the military was against the reforms.

The death knell for the reforms was finally sounded by the deafening silence on the subject of Fata reforms in the budget session of Parliament on Friday.

“No resources have been allocated for the implementation of reforms package,” Babar said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2017.