May 4, 2006	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 5, 1427

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LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), May 3: Senators from the Federally-Administered Tribal Areas have threatened to dissociate themselves from the government if their demand for a post in the federal cabinet was not met immediately.

Expressing annoyance over the delay in inducting a senator from tribal areas in the cabinet, parliamentary leader of legislators from the Fata into Senate, Senator Hamidullah Jan Afridi said that senators from triabl areas would hold a meeting in Peshawar today to devise a consensus strategy in this regards.

Senator Afridi criticised the ruling coalition’s attitude towards parliamentarians from tribal areas and said that they had been “repeatedly and intentionally” ignored.

Keeping in view the precarious conditions in the tribal belt, he said that it was unfair to treat the Fata parliamentarians in such a way, Mr Afridi said, adding that such an attitude would compel them to dissociate themselves from the present government.

He said that tribal MNAs had been alloted what they termed a less important state ministry of tourism, which had nothing to do with development in tribal areas.

He said that only a fully-fledged ministry of State and Frontier Regions (Safron) would help overcome their deprivations.

Expressing resentment over the delay in allotting a ministry, Senator Hafiz Abdul Malik termed the government’s attitude towards Fata parliamentarians step-motherly, he said that their demands had never been considered sympathetically by in-charges of tribal affairs in Islamabad and at the Governor’s Fata Secretariat in Peshawar.

He said that they were prepared to forego their senate seats if their demand was not met.

Hafiz Abdul Malik said that they had discussed the issue with president of the ruling PML and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain had promised them in writing that they would be allotted a ministry of their choice.

Abdul Malik reminded that new minister had been inducted in the federal government and said that the ruling PML leader to honour his.

He said that if he (CHaudhry Shujaat) reneged on his promise, they reserved the rights to dissociate themselves from the government, he said.