Mainstreaming Fata

This refers to the article, ‘From Fata to Pata?’ (September 16) by Ayaz Wazir. Yes, sympathy wave alone will not do the insurmountable task of mainstreaming Fata. For this, proper homework is required. The real stakeholders are the people of the area. Politicking on this national issue will do more harm than good. The issue is too serious to be lost to adventurism. After the people, another real stakeholder in Fata is the army, which is busy cleansing the Aegean Stables. At the end of the list comes parliament.
This being the case, there is no room for adventurism in the status of the tribal areas. Public approval and debate have to precede any legislation on the issue. Hasty decisions will result in more chaos. The merger of Swat and Malakand into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a case in point. The centuries-old tribal system has to be resolved within the tribal context. Jirga is a time-tested justice device. Thana culture is no substitute for it. The writer correctly said that the ‘devil’ is in the implementation and not in the actual mainstreaming of the idea itself. When our national survival is at stake, any recourse to legal subtleties and legal rigmarole should be eschewed.
Moazzam Tahir
Islamabad