Tribal elders warn govt against Fata’s merger

JAMRUD: The tribal elders here on Tuesday warned the federal government against the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Speaking at a news conference here, tribal elders, including Malik Ismail, Malik Salahuddin, Malik Pervez and others said a jirga would also be held on Thursday to air their concern over the proposed merger of Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “We will not accept police and patwaris in the tribal areas,” Malik Salahuddin said, adding that nobody would be allowed to change the status of the tribal areas.

However, he demanded the abolition of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) from Fata. They asked the president of Pakistan and Chief of Army Staff to listen to their stance on the issue before making any decision.