The people of Fata have been told that reforms to bring the tribal areas into the mainstream are right around the corner for much of the PML-N government’s tenure but little real action has been taken to ensure this actually materialises into reality. A package which proposed the eventual repeal of the Frontier Crimes Regulation and the merger of Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was announced but has since been put on the backburner after PML-N ally JUI-F and the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party objected to it. Having had enough, protesters from Fata descended on the capital on Monday, demanding action be taken soon. In a meeting with Fata parliamentarians the same day, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the recommendations of the Fata reforms committee would be implemented soon – although it is telling that he did not give a firm date. There is no practical reason for the PML-N government not to immediately pass the Fata reforms in parliament should it want to do so. The PPP has always been on board with the reforms, with Farhatullah Babar even joining Fata parliamentarians in a sit-in. There is a consensus that the FCR is barbaric and archaic, that the people of Fata deserve constitutional protections and that a merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the best way to go about this.
The opposition of the JUI-F is easy to understand. Since it has no vote bank in Fata, it is worried its power and influence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be diluted if there is a merger. The PML-N is probably delaying because it does not want to deal with some of the logistical issues that will arise as a result of implementing the Fata reforms. The Council of Common Interests would have to decide what share of the divisible pool to allocate to Fata in addition to the federal funding it already receives. No matter how much every political party claims to support the reforms right now, it is sure to fight for a greater share for the provinces where they rule at the expense of Fata. However, none of these political issues should take precedence over the right of the residents of Fata. They have never enjoyed the protection of the courts, their homes have been destroyed by years of war and many are still not able to return home. Just rebuilding Fata will take untold years. It is not time to show our commitment to those who have been marginalised for so long.