Human rights seminar: FATA reforms discussed

An extension of higher judiciary to Fata was a step forward towards ending the sense of frustration and deprivation the people of the neglected tribal region have been experiencing for decades. This was the core discussion taking place at the seminar held at Iqra University, Islamabad. The seminar titled, “Extension of Higher Judiciary to Fata: What next?” discussed at length the progress on the Fata reforms process following the passage of the bill by the National Assembly on January 12. Speaking on the occasion Senator Hidayatullah Khan said if the people of fata are sons of the soil under the constitution of 1973, then why should they be treated differently? There should be a uniform law through-out the country. He said the people of Fata had suffered a lot. The people got humiliated at the temporarily displaced people (TDP) camps but never ever revolted against the mainstream Pakistani laws. The people of fata should not be tested anymore, he warned. “We should be given a fair deal,” he maintained. Despite stating that this was a necessary step for the people of Fata, it was also argued that it was a small step and a lot still needed to be done for the people of the region to attain the same justice as those in the rest of the country. The senator from Bajaur said that the people of Fata want to move forward along with the developed world. 


Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th, 2018.