Merger questions

The recent move by the federal government to revive the traditional jirga system in the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) has triggered a storm of political backlash – and rightly so. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan has rejected the federal committee formed for this purpose, terming it unconstitutional and an overreach into matters that are, post-25th Amendment, squarely the domain of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government. The concern is not just legal or procedural but about a decades-long struggle by the people of these areas to move away from colonial-era governance and towards integration with mainstream Pakistan. The Fata-KP merger was the result of relentless grassroots activism, political consensus and a constitutional process that sought to restore rights long denied to the people of the tribal belt. The federal government’s move, however well-intentioned as claimed by Federal Minister for SAFFRON Amir Muqam, risks undermining this hard-won progress. It also raises troubling questions: Is this a precursor to something worse regarding the merger? Is the revival of jirgas a nod to those who always opposed integration? Such speculation cannot be taken lightly in a province where the security and political fabric is already under strain.

Any perceived rollback will only feed into existing fears and further destabilise a region already suffering from resurgent terrorism, sectarian violence and administrative neglect. From Bajaur to Kurram, the challenges are immense. What the people need is not a retreat into outdated systems but the full and fair implementation of promises made under the merger: policing reforms, judicial access, infrastructure development and political inclusion. The federal committee’s formation, particularly in the context of Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s continued opposition to the merger and his recent remarks questioning its legitimacy, has only deepened the mistrust. The federal government must respect provincial autonomy and avoid giving the impression of bypassing or undermining KP’s mandate. If the intention is to support the people of former Fata, that support should come in the form of resources, development projects and institutional reforms not by imposing outdated tribal adjudication systems which were precisely what the merger had sought to dismantle.

At the same time, the KP government must rise above its own political preoccupations and channel its mandate into governance, not street protests. The people of KP, particularly in the merged districts, need leadership that is proactive in addressing the vacuum in justice delivery, the resurgence of militancy and the sectarian tensions simmering in districts like Kurram. The people of Fata, after decades of exclusion, demanded inclusion. Any attempt to renege on that promise would not only be unjust but dangerous. Reversing the merger, or even entertaining ideas that dilute its spirit, would rightly constitute a red line. Crossing it could plunge the region back into chaos and give militant groups the ideological ammunition they need to exploit local grievances. Pakistan cannot afford that. KP cannot afford that. And above all, the people of the former tribal areas cannot afford that. Let’s not let them down once again.