PESHAWAR: Civil society organisations from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas on Saturday demanded abolition of the British-era Frontier Crimes Regulation in the region.

They also called for amendments to the Constitution’s Article 247, observing the article has deprived the Fata residents of basic human rights.

The demands were made during a consultation on ‘FCR: need for reformation, challenges and way forward’ here.

The Centre for Research and Security Studies organised the event, where lawyers, journalists, political activists and social workers from tribal areas showed up in large numbers.

Most participants observed the authorities continued to consider the people of Fata lesser human beings as they’re denied basic human rights protected in the Constitution.

They said FCR was enforced by the British imperialist rulers in 1901 to subdue and rule the tribal areas, so it was inhuman, draconian and a black law and therefore, it should be done away with forthwith.

The participants demanded that mainstream political parties get together for freeing Fata from the black law.

They also urged the government to extend the country’s all laws, including those on freedom of media and local government, to tribal areas.

Lawyer and former MNA Abdul Lateef Afridi said FCR was an oppressive and outdated law and therefore, the people of Fata rejected it outright.

He said the Fata people should be provided with all basic human rights.

The lawyer said the Fata tribunals had miserably failed to dispense justice to the people of the area.

Former MNA from Bajaur Agency Akhunzada Chattan said political efforts should stop condemning FCR and take tangible steps for the abolition of the ‘black law’.

He said Fata residents were loyal to Pakistan but were denied legal and constitutional rights enjoyed by those living in the country’s other parts.

Mr Chattan said PML-N and other parties should come forward for bringing Fata to the national mainstream.

He said major hurdle to Fata reforms was the bureaucratic mindset, which had been blocking attempts to repeal or amend FCR for long.

Professor Ijaz Khan of Peshawar University, who was also in attendance, urged participants to ask for the citizens’ equal rights instead of using ‘tribalism’ as an inherent right of Fata residents.

He said tribalism was a stage in social evolution and not an identity and that it didn’t reflect a unified code of life.

“The entire discourse must be based on demands for equal rights of the citizens of Pakistan,” he said.

Other participants also called for end to the laws discriminating against the people of tribal areas, including FCR.

They said the judiciary and the executive should be separated and that the Fata tribunal should be headed by a judicial officer or a retired judge instead of a retired bureaucrat.

Ijaz Mohmand, leader of Fata Lawyers Association, said abolition of Article 247 would ensure provision of basic human rights and rights to all Pakistanis without discrimination.

He said there should be a need for extension of the Supreme Court and high court’s jurisdiction to Fata to ensure dispensation of justice to local residents.