September 26, 2003	Friday	Rajab 28, 1424

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LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), Sept 25: Six senators from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) have applied for separate seats in the Senate keeping in view their independent status.

The senators, including Hafiz Abdul Malik, Malik Ajmal, Tahir Iqbal Orakzai, Rashid Ahmad, Syed Sajjad Hussain and Hamid Ullah Afridi held a meeting with president PML-Q Chaudary Shujaat Hussain in Islamabad on Tuesday and apprised him about their grievances.

Talking to Dawn  a senator from the Khyber Agency Hamid Ullah Afridi clarified that the decision was not taken in bad faith and was aimed at securing rights of Fata parliamentarians.  

He said although the government was yet to keep its promise of inducting a senator from the tribal areas into the federal cabinet, their decision to have separate seats had nothing to do with the ministerial issue.

Mr Afridi said the six senators wanted to avail all perks and privileges given to other senators.

“We cannot afford to be labelled back-benchers any more,” the senator added.

Mr Afridi said the senators would soon have their own parliamentary leader as well.

When asked as to what transpired during their meeting with Chaudary Shujaat, he said it was a routine matter and the PML-Q chief apprised the senators about the ongoing dialogue between the MMA and the government over the LFO issue.

He was however optimistic that as soon as the LFO tangle was resolved, a Fata senator would be inducted into the federal cabinet.

However, Mr Afridi’s comments were dispelled by two Fata MNAs Malik Munir and Dr G.G. Jamal who told Dawn that the senators were annoyed with the government for not keeping its promise.

They informed that the tribal senators had given a 24-hour deadline to Mr Shujaat during their Tuesday meeting in Islamabad for naming Malik Ajmal as a federal minister.

Mr Shujaat had reportedly requested for some time to think over the matter which the senators refused to give.

“The demand for separate seats is a pressure tactic,” Dr Jamal said.