According to the report received by the Senate panel, the teenager was detained after a scuffle with a member of another tribe. The political agent and his deputy did not appear before the Senate for a hearing despite being summoned and instead sent in a written report, which states that Khan had attacked law enforcers. Dissatisfied with the contents of the report, the Senate has demanded that the officials concerned appear before its panel and also asked the SAFRON ministry to make arrangements to produce Khan before the body. This is a welcome step forward. For too long, the Fata areas have been run on the whim of political agents, its people forced to abide by rules which give them no right to put forward their own version of events, or stand fair trial in a court of law. For many reasons, it is time we ended the isolation of Fata and drew these areas into the mainstream of our country. This could help bring greater order within these territories and end the legal chaos that has for so long made the lives of the people a constant nightmare. We hope the Senate action will be a step in this direction.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 28th, 2015.
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