JUI-F wants Fata declared separate province

KHAR: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Fata chapter head Mufti Abdul Shakoor on Sunday asked the government to abolish Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) and make Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) a separate province.

Addressing a public gathering at Khar, the administrative headquarters of Bajaur Agency, Mufti Abdul Shakoor said that his party was not in favour of FCR but any decision against the will of the tribesmen would not be accepted.

JUI-F leaders and tribal elders including former Senator Maulana Abdur Rasheed, Mufti Ijaz Shinwari, Said Badshah, Ahmad Zeb Khan and others were present on the occasion.Mufti Abdul Shakoor said the government should hold referendum on Fata's merger into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

"The JUI-F would not any decision to be imposed against the aspirations of the tribal people. The tribespeople should be taken into confidence about the future status of the tribal regions," he maintained.