Centre asked to honour promises made with people of merged districts

ISLAMABAD: The opposition alliance, Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain-e-Pakistan and elected members from the ex-tribal areas, Tuesday asked the federal government to fulfill its promises made to the erstwhile Fata, claiming the situation was deteriorating with each passing day.

Speaking at a joint news conference here, opposition leaders, including Asad Qaiser, Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Nasir Abbas, warned that the situation in erstwhile Fata was deteriorating with each passing day.

Asad Qaiser slammed the federal government for not fulfilling its promises. He claimed they were promised that a significant amount would be allocated for accelerated development of merged districts. Instead of facilitating them, he charged the government was bent on taking revenge from the people and was ‘destroying’ the economy of the merged districts by closing borders with Afghanistan and halting trade. He pointed out that currently, there was a sit-in going on in Chaman for months. Similarly, there was also a sit-in in Ghulam Khan but no one was talking to the participants of these sit-ins, nor was anyone taking them seriously. He said peace and security situation was deteriorating and unemployment was increasing, which would lead to unrest in the region. He demanded that trade closure with Afghanistan should be reopened at the earliest. “A parliamentary committee should be formed to address these issues. The Centre should negotiate with all those who are leading the sit-ins,” he said.

Lawmaker Mehmood Khan Achakzai insisted on the supremacy of Constitution and said the Parliament should be sovereign. Commenting on denial of due rights to the erstwhile tribal areas, he said the merged districts should be given their promised rights. He urged the federal government to allocate a portion of the budget for the merged districts so they could defend themselves and Pakistan..

The representatives of the tribal areas highlighted a number of issues. They maintained that transportation in Bajaur was at its worst and the condition of main roads was deteriorating, causing significant problems for the local residents. They explained that in Miranshah Bazaar, North Waziristan, delay in payment of compensation to shopkeepers was witnessed.

He said traders had staged multiple protests in this regard while the residents near Ghulam Khan border were facing difficulties due to restrictions on travel.