Lack of education, human resource development and infrastructure are the main issues people face in the tribal belt, where ghost towns constitute more than half the region.
This was said by Rustam Shah Mohmand, Pakistan’s former envoy to Afghanistan during an open forum on ‘Fata Reforms - Past and Present’ held at the University of Peshawar on Thursday.
Mohmand said over 40,000 people have been killed in tribal areas during the last seven to eight years, while more than 800,000 people from Fata are living as internally displaced persons (IDP) and most of them do not have access to basic amenities of life.
“Although reforms have been introduced in the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), adding or removing specific clauses from the FCR would not improve law and order in Fata,” he said.
Ayaz Wazir, a tribesman, blamed the media for not highlighting core issues of Fata and frequent human rights violations. He demanded immediate repealing or amendment of the FCR.
BBC representative Rifaatullah Orakzai said the media has limitations in reaching out to people in Fata due to the ongoing militancy.“Many journalists have been killed in the line of duty.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 16th, 2011.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ