PPP to stand by Fata people for bringing reforms: Zardari

ISLAMABAD: Former president and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari Thursday said the PPP will stand by the people of tribal areas in their struggle for extending jurisdiction of superior courts to tribal areas, merging it with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and allocating share in the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.

“All pointers whether economic, linguistic, cultural or geographic contiguity made it natural for the tribal areas to be merged in the province,” he said while talking to a delegation of the Tribal Youth Jirga that called on him here at the Zardari House.

The 25-member delegation included representatives of Fata Youth Forum representing all political parties. Renowned Geo News anchor Saleem Safi also accompanied the delegation.

Zardari said that although the bill to extend the jurisdiction of superior courts to tribal areas passed recently by the National Assembly fell far short of expectations and was too little too late, but the PPP will support in the Senate to seize the opportunity and flung open the door for further improvements. He said when the PPP comes into power in this year’s elections, it will move improve the bill and extend the jurisdiction of superior courts to all parts of Fata and with immediate effect.

Reminding that as president he had transferred all powers to the Parliament, he said that for mainstreaming Fata the legislative powers of the president in respect of Fata should also be transferred to the Parliament. He said that Fata should also be given share in the NFC Award. “The tribal people have been devastated and it is time to put balm on their wounds,” he said.

The former president also demanded immediate demolition of the existing system of levy and collection of taxes, cess, levies and rahdari by the political agents in tribal areas which he said was "arbitrary, illegal and a tool for corruption".

The former President reminded that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto was the first to move petition before the Supreme Court for voting rights to the people of tribal areas. “It was she who first constituted a special committee of the party on Fata,” he said.

He said that for the first time in a century, the door to reforms in the FCR was opened by the PPP during his presidency. “For the first time also, all political parties were allowed to operate in tribal areas and present an alternate political view and for this purpose the Political Parties’ Order 2002 was extended to the tribal areas,” he said, adding that the PPP will continue its efforts to further mainstream tribal areas.

During the meeting, the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also called Asif Zardari on the phone from Karachi and emphasised the need for taking forward the Fata reforms project.

Former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, PPP Secretary General Nayyer Bokhari, spokesperson Aamir Fida Paracha, President PPP Fata chapter Akhunzada Chattan, President women wing Fata Dr Saima, political secretary Rukhsana Bangash, Fouzia Habib and former senator Farhatullah Babar were also present in the meeting.