ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has decided to
launch a “historical movement” for the implementation of the Fata
reforms package that includes merger of tribal areas with Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa (KP), but modalities of the protest and its final date will
be announced later.
The decision was made at a meeting of the party’s core committee presided over by PTI chairman Imran Khan on Saturday.
Talking
to Dawn after the meeting, PTI’s information secretary and MNA Shafqat
Mehmood said the party had “in principle” decided to start a protest
movement to put pressure on the government for the implementation of the
Fata reforms package. He accused the government of committing excesses
against the tribal people by not granting them the fundamental rights as
enshrined in the Constitution and being enjoyed by the people of other
parts of the country.
Mr Mehmood said it appeared as if
the government had taken a U-turn on the issue of the merger because of
political expediencies and such an act was “condemnable”.
Accuses the government of committing excesses against tribal people by not granting them fundamental rights
In reply to a question, he said his party would soon
finalise the modalities of the protest and there was a possibility that
they might give a call to the people of tribal areas to stage a rally
from Fata to Islamabad.
A senior PTI leader said the
party leadership was of the view that war-torn Fata needed development
and reconstruction which was not possible without its merger with KP. He
said the party believed that if they failed to merge Fata with KP now
then it would only be possible in 2023 and it would be too late by that
time.
The party’s legal team also gave a briefing to the
party leadership on various aspects of the Supreme Court’s decision of
shelving the Hudaibya Paper Mills case against members of the Sharif
family. The PTI has decided to keep the Hudaibya case alive and launch a
campaign for creating awareness among the masses about the issue.
Mr
Mehmood said the PTI had already constituted a five-member committee
under Shah Mehmood Qureshi to decide the future course of action in this
regard. He, however, said they had been waiting for the detailed
judgment of the court.
The leadership also decided that a
party delegation under Shah Mehmood Qureshi would attend the
multi-party conference convened by Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Dr
Tahirul Qadri on Dec 30.
The meeting was also attended
by former secretary general Jahangir Tareen who had resigned from the
party office following his disqualification by the Supreme Court for
hiding his assets abroad.
The PTI chairman had already
hinted at launching a protest movement for implementation of the reforms
package while addressing the “Fata Youth Convention” in Islamabad
earlier this month.
Mr Khan had threatened to hold a
march on Islamabad if the government did not take any positive step
towards merger of Fata with KP during the NA session — that had ended
last week.
He had stated that the PTI wanted to see the
merger of Fata with KP taking place before 2018 general elections as a
further delay in this regard could provide another opportunity to the
terrorists to get hold of the area.
Last week, the
government had adjourned the National Assembly session sine die without
presenting the bill seeking extension of the high court and the Supreme
Court to the tribal areas as a first step towards the implementation of
the Fata reforms package.
In March, the federal cabinet
under former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had approved a set of steps to
be taken for the proposed merger of Fata with KP and a 10-year reform
package to bring the tribal region on a par with other developing areas
of the country.
Later in May, the government convened a
special session of the National Assembly for presentation of three
bills, including a constitution amendment bill that had been drafted in
the light of the recommendations of the Fata reforms committee.
The
government, however, tabled the amendment bill required for declaring
Fata a part of KP and the Tribal Areas Rewaj Bill, 2017, but he did not
move the bill seeking extension of the jurisdiction of the Peshawar High
Court and the Supreme Court to Fata without any explanation.
Later,
the reforms were hit a snag when the then prime minister, Nawaz Sharif,
directed the government to hold back the legislation due to the
opposition by the allies.
