ISLAMABAD: Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief
Mehmood Khan Achakzai on Thursday proposed on the floor of the National
Assembly that a “judicial council-like body” comprising judges, generals
and diplomats should be formed to decide the future set-up for
Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) which should be democratic
and as per the aspirations of tribal people.
Reacting on
the criticism directed at him and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief
Maulana Fazlur Rehman by some members for their opposition to the plan
of merging Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mr Achakzai said the president
should announce abolition of the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR).
Warning
against the planned merger of tribal areas with the province, the PkMAP
leader from Balochistan suggested that Fata should be governed either
by a governor or a council to be elected through adult franchise.
The
PkMAP chief was of the view that the present parliament had no role in
Fata’s affairs. “I am giving you a solution. Have fear of God. I will
not abuse anyone. Please, do not abuse us,” he implored while joining
his hands before taking his seat.
Opposition continues its boycott of NA proceedings
On the other hand, the opposition members continued their
boycott of the assembly’s proceedings for the fourth consecutive day
over the government’s move to withdraw the bill seeking to extend the
jurisdiction of the Peshawar High Court and Supreme Court to Fata from
the assembly agenda at the eleventh hour on Monday. However, they failed
to disrupt the proceedings of the house when their efforts to point of
lack of quorum failed twice.
Declaring the house in
order after a headcount, Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi
intelligently continued the proceedings of the house for more than an
hour after the opposition members’ walkout and almost carried out the
complete agenda.
However, the assembly failed to take up
questions as the members consumed first hour of the proceedings in
discussing the issues of Fata reforms and problems of the wheat growers
through points of order.
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s
(PTI) MNA Muhammad Ali Khan interrupted Mr Achakzai’s speech on a number
of occasions through his noisy protest against the latter’s stance over
Fata reforms.
“I am a Pakistani citizen. It is my
democratic right to support or oppose something,” Mr Achakzai said after
Awami Muslim League president Sheikh Rashid Ahmed accused the
government of delaying Fata reforms only because of opposition from “two
persons”.
The PkMAP chief warned that any change in the
present set-up in Fata could create “trouble” for Pakistan. He said
Fata had not been a part of Pakistan according to the Independence Act
of 1947.
Giving a historical background, he mentioned a
number of agreements signed by then British rulers and tribal elders
before partition of the subcontinent, mentioning Fata residents as “free
people”.
He was of the view that it was a “sensitive
issue” and Afghanistan could raise objections over any move to change
the Fata’s status. “If we commit any mistake here, our armed forces will
be trapped here,” he said without elaborating, adding that already on a
daily basis they had been receiving reports about attacks on troops in
the tribal areas. He said a delegation of the tribal people had met the
army chief recently and told him that no step should be taken against
their wishes.
In response to Mr Achakzai’s speech,
Leader of the Opposition in the house Syed Khursheed Shah said that all
the acts and agreements signed during the British rule had become
redundant.
“We do not accept India and Afghanistan
theories. We are not bound to abide by any decision made by the
British,” he said. He said that 95 per cent people of Fata “wanted
accession to Pakistan”.
He said the tribal people wanted
that they should have the right to appeal before the high court and the
Supreme Court and this was their democratic right.
Mr Shah said the opposition would not allow the government to use the parliament as a rubber stamp.
Qaumi
Watan Party chief Aftab Sherpao said that it was time to take practical
steps instead of wasting time in debate which had already taken place
many times in the past. He said that under Article 1 of the
Constitution, Fata was a part of Pakistan. He urged the government to
announce merger of Fata with KP as soon as possible and “before the time
ran out”.
Mr Sherpao said the PML-N government should
take credit for “this historical work” and should not wait to do it
“under pressure”.
Earlier, parliamentary leader of the
Pakistan Peoples Party Syed Naveed Qamar said the government had been
indicating to them that the army was perhaps against the planned Fata
reforms. He said the government now had no excuse in this regard after
the army chief had himself made a statement that he also supported
reforms in tribal areas.
Federal Minister for States and
Frontier Regions retired Lt Gen Abdul Qadir Baloch said the government
was determined to implement Fata reforms and it would not allow anyone
to “snatch” the credit for it.
“There is no question of
going back on Fata reforms,” he said, adding that the prime minister had
already convened a meeting of the parliamentary leaders on the issue on
Friday and hopefully the issue would be resolved soon.
