Press conference: Abolition of Frontier Crime Regulation Act demanded

Participants call for abolishing Frontier Crime Regulation Act.

PESHAWAR:

Women should be reserved seats in the provincial assembly and the Frontier Crime Regulation (FCR) Act should be abolished. These demands were made by the Civil Society Network (CSN) and Fata Democratic Movement (FDM) at a press conference on Monday.

FDM President Raees Norat Khan Afridi said though amendments were announced in the black FCR law but that is not enough, adding that it should be abolished.

“Women make up 50 per cent of the population in Fata and they have a right to be represented in the provincial assembly,” he said.

He further demanded that the tribal region should amalgamated with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, saying that a separate province for the tribal Pakhtuns would not only lack administrative benefits but also divide the tribesmen.

Moreover, he said the internally-displaced people (IDPs) of the tribal areas should be provided with ration and other amenities in camps as for the last few months the World Food Program has reduced the quantity of food and other provision to the IDPs. He also asked the government to help the IDPs in their return to homes in a dignified manner.

CSN Coordinator Ghaniur Rehman, Tribal NGOs Association Chairman Zar Ali Khan and tribal elders were present on the occasion. They opined that Durand Line should not be closed for movement as Pukhtun are living on both sides of the border and they have close social and cultural links with each other and regularly cross the border.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2013.