Tribal elders reject KP-Fata merger

LANDIKOTAL: Rejecting what they called a forced merger of tribal agencies into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the tribal elders in a joint consultative gathering with the government officials on Thursday demanded the reinstatement of tribal jirga system, as well we Khassadar and Levies forces in the best interest of the 12 million tribal people.

Speaking on the occasion, former federal minister Malik Waris Khan Afridi, Malik Darya Khan Zakhakhel, Malik Abdur Razaq Afridi, Malik Abdul Mannan Mulagori, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Muqtadar Shah Afridi and others rejected the erstwhile Fata’s merger into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They said that known tribal elders were consulted on the issue.

They said they had been deprived of their basic rights in the shape of the merger.

They said that at the time of Fata merger, tribals were told that Rs100 billion funds had been allocated for Fata uplift per year and it would bring development which would change the life of militancy and poverty-affected people.

“Tall claims were made just to ensure the merger, but this process put the 12 million people at the mercy of the underprivileged province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” said Malik Abdur Razaq Zakhakhel.

He said that in the past three years, the government had done nothing in the education, health, and business sectors and failed to create jobs for local people of the erstwhile Fata.

Malik Abdul Mannan Mulagori said that as per the tribal traditions and customs, the jirga system should be restored in the region.

Former federal minister Malik Waris Khan Afridi said that if the government did not consider the viewpoints of tribals then why was it inviting them to attend meetings.

He said that so far, the PTI-led government had failed to initiate a single mega project in the merged districts.

Commandant Khyber Rifles Col Rizwan Nazeer, DC Khyber Mansoor Arshad, DPO Wasim Riaz, Additional Deputy Commissioner Noor Wali Khan, Assistant Commissioner for Bara Nek Muhammad, Assistant Commissioner for Landikltal Akbar Iftikhar, Assistant Commissioner for Jamrud Jawad Ali and tehsildar Landikotal Dawood Afridi and commissioner Peshawar Riaz Mehsud attended the event.