PESHAWAR: Since the extension of Political Parties Order, 2002 to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in August last, the Jamaat-i-Islami so far seems to be the only party taking full advantage of the extended law by holding public meetings in certain parts of the tribal belt.
Senior leaders of JI including its former chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad have addressed largely attended rallies in Bajaur, Mohmand and Khyber agencies during the past three months.The party's sitting central deputy chief Sirajul Haq visited Sadda, lower Kurram Agency tehsil headquarters, on Sunday and addressed a big gathering there.
He is the first politician, who visited this sensitive part of Fata that remained cut off from the rest of the country for four years owing to violence.
President Asif Ali Zardari, through a presidential order extended the order to Fata in August 2011. Civil society considers extension of the law to Fata a positive step to bring the area into the mainstream. Fata with over three million populous has total 12 National Assembly and eight Senate seats.
Unlike Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, Pakistan People's Party and Awami National Party, which have sufficient vote bank in this isolated and ignored region of the country, JI took the lead and started aggressive campaign since the order has been extended.
JI chief for Fata Sahibzada Haroon Rashid said that rallies had been planned in Wana, Miramshah and Orakzai Agency in April and May.
He said that Jamaat chief Syed Munawar Hassan and Qazi Hussain Ahmad would address a rally in Bajaur on April 1 and would also visit Khyber Agency on April 28.
“It was risky to organise public rallies in Fata at this critical time, but we did and our rallies were very successful,” said Mr Rashid, a former parliamentarian from Bajaur Agency, adding that the party had already nominated 10 candidates from Fata for the next general elections.
After extension of the order, Fata Civil Secretariat in collaboration with political parties has designed code of conduct for every tribal agency for holding political rallies. The party will take permission from respective political administration before holding public meeting.
Mr Rashid said that political authorities were very cooperative and did not create any hurdle for them.
The JUI-F has strong vote bank in Fata especially in North Waziristan, South Waziristan and Mohmand agencies, but it has yet to start any significant activities.
However, JUI-F provincial secretary information Abdul Jalil Jan claimed that they had organised public meetings in Mohmand, Bajaur, North and South Waziristan agencies.
He said that Maulana Fazlur Rehman's younger brother Maulana Ataur Rehman had recently addressed a meeting in North Waziristan and more activities were planned.
Analysts say that prevailing circumstances in Fata were in favour of religious parties as compared to secular parties and they (religious groups) are exploiting situation.
Professor Ijaz Khattak, chairman International Relations department, University of Peshawar, said that presently religious parties had advantages, but nationalists and other parties would balance out the difference.
“Religious parties have the benefit of using mosques and seminaries in Fata,” he observed, saying that ANP and PPP had also started some activities there, but it would take time.
On the other hand, coalition partners in the centre and the province (PPP and ANP) have yet to undertake activities in Fata. Recently ANP organised tribal jirga in Peshawar, but the party has yet to intervene inside Fata. Like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PPP is also in disarray in Fata.
Under the constitution Fata was governed by the federal government, but the area seemed not on the list of priorities of PPP, complained president PPP Fata president Malik Waris Khan Afridi, who stated that party workers were not happy with the leadership.
“President, prime minister and governor are from the party, despite that workers have got nothing and local MNAs are taking credit for the reforms introduced and developments activities in the area,” he remarked.
He added that he had taken up grievances of the workers in the party's core committee meetings. “We can organise much bigger rallies in every tribal agency, but have nothing to satisfy our workers,” he said.
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