PESHAWAR: Muttahida Qabail Party (MQP) has rejected the proposal regarding Fata’s merger into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and announced that any all-party conference would soon be convened to decide on the matter.

This was announced by the MQP vice chairman Malik Habib Noor Orakzai while speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Friday.

On the occasion, an elder, Malik Mohammad Ali Halemzai, also announced joining the MQP.

Flanked by office-bearers of the MQP, Mr Orakzai briefed media about his party’s stand and said it would not support the move for merger of Fata into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa unless all the political parties shared opinion in that regard.

“A jirga of MQP will meet the Fata parliamentarians to discuss the prevailing situation because many of the stakeholders are still opposed to the idea and have different suggestions on the matter,” he said.

The MQP leader set some conditions for taking any decision regarding merger of Fata into KP or creation of a separate council for Fata, saying that first the government should ensure rehabilitation of the internally displaced persons.

Similarly, he also demanded compensation for the heirs of victims and those who suffered financial losses during the military operations against terrorists.

He said Fata people were loyal to the state and always rendered sacrifices for protection of the land but after the 9/11 they suffered huge losses of lives and properties. He appreciated the efforts of security forces for restoring peace in the tribal regions.

Speaking on the occasion, a tribal elder Naqeeb Mehsud said the MQP had initiated a survey to know opinion of the people about creation of a separate Fata province, its merger into KP or creation of a Fata council.

He said 70 per cent tribesmen living in Bajaur, Tank, Bannu and different frontier regions had opposed merger in KP and asked for separate province or formation of Fata council.

He said it was duty of the government to focus attention on solution to the problems being faced by the tribal regions.

Mohammad Ali Halemzai said tribal people had always served the country as volunteers to safeguard its borders and would do the same in future also, but the government should also treat them like other citizens of the country.

Published in Dawn, October 10th , 2015

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