Seminar: Call to extend courts’ jurisdiction to FATA

Call for local body polls also made during debate on FCR reforms.

The jurisdiction of the Peshawar High Court and Supreme Court of Pakistan should be extended to the tribal regions. This was among the core suggestions made during a policy-level seminar on “Effective implementation of the Frontier Crime Regulations (FCR) Reforms”, organised by Devolution Trust for Community Empowerment (DTCE) on Wednesday.

The basic purpose of the seminar was to discuss the implementation status of FCR reforms and its potential to be the catalyst for governance change in Fata. The participants included parliamentarians, representatives of civil society and donor agencies, said a press release.

Former president Asif Zardari had approved the FCR reforms in August 2011. These legal and political reforms were the first step towards bringing change into Fata and establishing modifications and alternatives to the archaic colonial era systems which had kept the status of Fata different from the rest of the nation.

MNA Shah Jee Gul said the people of Fata are very peaceful people, but in the past, internationally and nationally, they have been used for the political and power interests of others at the cost of locals. He called for empowering Fata legislators to make laws for the tribal people for the betterment of the local population in line with their needs.



Former MNA Akhunzada Chitan said the people of Fata should be given a peaceful atmosphere in which security is paramount. He added that local government is a unit of democracy and local government elections should be held in Fata. He also opined that the National Assembly and Senate should also have legislation rights for Fata as it is a part of Pakistan and Fata’s elected representatives are also members of parliament.

DTCE chairman and member National Assembly (MNA)Daniyal Aziz gave a historical perspective on the FCR and agreed with the rest of the speakers that the people of Fata are also equal citizens of Pakistan and as such all efforts should be made to undertake reforms that brings Fata at par with the rest of country.

Senator Abbas Afridi, civil society activist Gul Faraz Khan, and Fata Lawyers Forum President Ijaz Mohmand also addressed the seminar.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 19^th, 2013.