Fata Students Forum slams Fazl for opposing Fata-KP merger

PESHAWAR: All Fata Students Forum, a group of different organisations, have rejected the youth convention of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), describing it against the interests of tribal people and urged the federal government to ensure merger of Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the earliest.

Speaking at a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club here on Sunday, Farhad Ali, the forum’s chairman, alleged that the JUI-F head Maulana Fazlur Rahman was working on someone else’s agenda which was meant to keep the tribal people deprived of their due rights.

Flanked by Insaf Students Federation President Akhtar Gul, Islami Jamiat-i-Talaba focal person Waseem Haider, Khyber Youth Forum Aamir Afridi, Kurram Students Organisation president Muhammad Saleem, Farhad Ali said that the JUI-F convention had completely failed as maximum of the participants belonged to settled districts who had nothing to do with the merger issue.

He appreciated the elected representatives of Fata including MNA Shahjee Gul Afridi, MNA Shahabuddin Khan, MNA Sajid Turi and Senator Sajjad Turi for the efforts they were making for merger of Fata with KP and expressed the hope that the people would be able to come out of the darkness in tribal regions.

The students of Fata, he said, were determined to continue their struggle for implementation of Fata reforms to get rid of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) and would not compromise on principles.

The JUI-F chief, he said, belonged to a settled district and had nothing to do with tribal regions but his sole aim was to keep the tribal people backward without any reason which meant that Fazlur Rehman was working on someone else’s agenda. All Fata Students Forum leaders asked the lawmakers of Fata to forge unity among their ranks instead of following their own political lines so that their struggle for resolution to the problems would succeed.

He demanded of the government to abolish the FCR, ensure three percent Fata’s share in the National Finance Commission award and avoid playing in the hands of so-called elders as they were serving their own interests.