Jirga asks PM’s U-turn on FATA merger plan

Asks government to hold referendum to determine people’s will

PESHAWAR: The All FATA Grand Alliance has demanded of the federal government to revisit the process of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas’ (FATA) merger with Khyber-Pakhtunkwa (K-P) and hold a referendum in the area to determine will of the tribal people.

In a jirga held on Saturday, the alliance described the merger of FATA and K-P as a hasty decision taken by the previous government earlier this year and said that if Prime Minister Imran Khan could take U-turn on other issues, he should also take U-turn on FATA merger.

“Error of the civil establishment must be rectified,” said a resolution passed by the jirga, which was attended by elders and maliks of the seven tribal districts, including Malik Marjan, Syed Mohmand, Nasrullah, Malik Waris Khan, Malik Bazz Khan and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam’s (JUI-F) Mufti Abdur Shakoor.



The Jirga participants were of the view that until the demands of the tribal people are met, the PM’s visit to the area would be a waste of both time and resources. They urged the federal government to arrange a referendum on FATA merger to know the real sentiments of the local people.

“We don’t accept digitalisation of record and the Patwari and police system in the seven districts of the former FATA. All issues of the areas should be resolved through tribal custom and the political administration should be reemployed after slight changes,” said Malik Marjan of Waziristan.

The jirga also asked the federal government to allocate special funds for health, education and other facilities in the militancy-affected districts.



“Our budgetary allocations, our share in the National Finance Commission (NFC) award and other funds must be clearly marked.

These funds should be utilised only in these seven districts. Using these funds on the settled districts of the province would be illegal and unlawful,” Malik Waris Khan noted.

The jirga held the view that FATA’s merger with K-P will create more problems rather than resolving them. It could create civil and administrative issues. Therefore, the government should arrange a referendum on the question of FATA merger, it said.

Later the alliance offered Fateha for the departed soul of SP Tahir Khan Dawar and condemned the brutal murder of the police officer, who was abducted and taken to Afghanistan before being killed.