PTI leader concerned over results of recent census in Fata

TANK: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief organiser for Fata, Dost Mohammad Mehsud, has expressed apprehensions over reports that the recent census has shown a marked decrease in population of the tribal areas and said it would undermine the socio-economic and political interests of the tribal people.

Talking to reporters here, he said that the tribal people had already been marginalised owing to years-long militancy and military operations, which resulted in the displacement of people from seven tribal agencies and six Frontier Regions (FRs).

The PTI leader, who belongs to South Waziristan, appealed to both the chief justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan and chief of army staff to order the holding of census again if the population figures of Fata showed any decrease unlike the other parts of the country.

He said that it might undermine the Fata reforms and process of its merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as they would not be given due representation in the national and provincial assemblies, National Finance Commission and job quotas.

Dost Mehsud, who is a former federal secretary, said that soon a Fata-based All Parties Conference would be organised to deliberate the sensitive issue of the census report and evolve a joint strategy to safeguard the interests of Fata.

Moreover, he appealed to the army chief to announce a welfare package for Fata on the pattern of the one announced for Balochistan youth and induct tribal youth in the armed forces as a special case, with an aim to overcome the unemployment rate and prevent young men from joining extremist and criminal groups.

He demanded the rebuilding and reconstruction of destroyed educational and health facilities.

Dost Mehsud called for action against ghost schools and hospitals in Fata where, he said, thousands of ghost employees were drawing salaries, thus causing a heavy burden on the national economy.

He demanded that army teams be deputed to unearth ghost schools and hospitals and ghost employees in order to streamline the whole process and restore people’s confidence in them.