Jirga demands reversal of ex-Fata merger

BARA: The Fata Qaumi Jirga on Sunday asked the government to reverse the merger of tribal districts with KP and honour the pledges made with the tribesmen for development.

The demand was made at a grand meeting of the elders of the anti-merger movement arranged at the residence of Fata Qaumi Jirga Chairman Malik Bismillah Jan Afridi in Jamrud tehsil of the Khyber district.

The office-bearers of the jirga and other elders including Malik Muhammad Hussain Afridi, Malik Bismillah Jan Afridi, Malik Waris Khan Afridi, Dawood Shah, a former president of Khyber

Union, Bazar Gul Afridi, Malik Tamash Shalmani, Malik Khan Marjan Wazir, Malik Atta Muhammad, Engineer Ayub Mehsud, Azam Mehsud, Malik Shakeel, Malik Zarmin Shah, Najibullah, Malik Bahadur Shah, Malik Hizur Rahman, Malik Ziarat Gul, Malik Mir Afzal, former MNA Baz Gul Afridi, Younis Afridi, Noorzaman Adamkhel and Malik Yar Muhammad Adamkhel and a number of tribal elders were present on the occasion.

The elders maintained that the ex-Fata was merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa without taking the tribal people and elders into confidence.

They said the former chief justice of the Supreme Court had promised the formation of a larger bench at the apex court to hear the case filed against the merger of Fata.

The speakers added that Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir had visited Peshawar and reportedly announced that Fata Secretariat status would be restored.

They expressed concern over the delimitations and changes to the assembly seats and demanded the restoration of the assembly seat for the Orakzai tribal district.

“We want the restoration of the student scholarship, medical and engineering seats in colleges which used to be in vogue in the past,” Malik Bismillah Afridi said.

Malik Khan Marjan Wazir said the Fata Qaumi Jirga was ready to facilitate dialogue between the government and armed groups, including the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan if asked by the government, adding it was needed for the sake of regional peace.