ANP rejects FATA census results, calls for fresh count

Asfandyar Wali calls for merger of tribal areas with K-P prior to 2018 polls

PESHAWAR: Rejecting the preliminary results of the national population census related to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), the Awami National Party (ANP) has called for conducting census in the tribal areas once again.

“The federal government has to explain how the population of Fata has reduced. We call for repetition of the census exercise in Fata so that the areas may get their rightful share in the National Finance Commission (NFC) award,” ANP chief Asfandyar Wali said on Tuesday.

He was addressing a press conference at Bacha Khan Markaz after the party’s Central Working Committee meeting. “We reject the census results for Fata as population figures for the tribal areas have been brought down,” he added.

The ANP chief also expressed dissatisfaction over the census data for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and alleged that an incorrect population figure had been released by authorities for K-P and Fata.

“Any plan to deprive the people of Fata and K-P of their rights will strongly be opposed,” Asfandyar warned.

All the senior leaders of the ANP were present on the occasion.

Reforms in Fata

Asfandyar once again asked Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to merge Fata with K-P before 2018 general election so that people of the tribal areas may also participate in the election process.

“The ANP stands with the people of Fata in their long struggle to get rid of the draconian Frontier Crime Regulation (FCR). This line between K-P and Fata was drawn by the British government and it should be abolished now,” he added.

Asfandyar said deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif had promised the people of Fata and K-P their due share in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project and implementation of reforms in Fata according to their wishes.

“However, Nawaz later backtracked from his pledges. [That is why] the ANP will join tribal areas people and other political parties in a protest scheduled on October 9 against the FCR,” he said.

Foreign policy review

Asfandyar also urged the federal government to take the regional geo-strategic situation seriously and reexamine its foreign policy accordingly. “Due to our flawed foreign policy, Pakistan has a tense relationship with all its neighbours, except China.”

Talking about Kabul-Islamabad relationship, he said progress and development of both countries was linked with each other and no country could move forward without close peaceful relationship.

“President Ashraf Ghani has already expressed willingness to resolve the mutual issues through bilateral talks,” he said.

Asfandyar asked politicians to learn to tolerate each other’s views and ideologies as “the country cannot move forward in an atmosphere of intolerance”.

Broadside at PTI

Asfandyar also criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in K-P for “failing to deliver” on its promises. “The slogan of change in the province has not materialised during the last four years and all government departments are in an awful condition now.”

He called PTI chief Imran Khan “politically inexperienced”, adding that the province had been turned into a laboratory for experiments. “After the health sector, now it is the education department that is breathing its last,” he claimed.