Jirga seeks withdrawal of 25th Amendment

KHAR: The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl on Saturday held a jirga demanding the abolition of the 25th constitutional amendment under which the ex-Fata was merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A large number of tribal elders from all over the merged districts participated in the jirga. Member National Assembly Mufti Abdul Shakoor, former federal minister Hameedullah Jan Afridi, former senator Saleh Shah, Malik Saeed Anwar Mahsud, Maulana Fayyaz-ur-Rahman Orakzai and others spoke on the occasion.

They said the former tribal areas were merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa without the consent of the local people and the merger was imposed on them. The elders demanded that the status of the ex-Fata should be restored and the 25th constitutional amendment withdrawn. They asked the government to stop establishing police stations in the merged districts, saying it was against tribal culture and traditions.

They asked the government to strengthen the jirga system instead to help resolve the issues among the tribespeople. The elders demanded that the identity of the tribal people should be restored.