PESHAWAR: Students belonging to various tribal regions have blasted the Fata Reforms Committee for not consulting women and youth on the region’s proposed merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Speaking at a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Friday, Fata Students Organisation’s (FSO) general secretary (women) Samreena Wazir said by not taking women and youth on board before deciding the fate of the colonial-era FCR, the federal government was playing with the sentiments of the tribal people.

Flanked by FSO president Shaukat Aziz, deputy general secretary Khayal Aziz Orakzai and Aziza Mehsud, Ms Wazir said the federal government had forgotten sacrifices of the tribal people for protecting the country’s frontiers. She said merger of Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was a must for the people to have representation in the provincial and national assemblies.

She said Fata Reforms Committee could not bring any change unless FCR was abolished as it was the will a majority of people. She stressed the need that women and youth be given representation in the committee so that they could also share their views on the matter.

On the occasion, Shaukat Aziz said the reforms committee was nothing but a lollipop to satisfy the tribal people who had been suffering due to government’s lack of attention and terrorism.

The FSO president said the Fata Reforms Committee had consulted only those who were near and dear to the political administrations of different tribal regions who supported FCR, and those raising voice against the injustices were not heard of.

Mr Aziz said enlightened people of the tribal regions had been raising voice against FCR, but aspirations of the people were ignored in the recommendations meant for bringing change to the prevailing system of governance in the tribal region.

The tribal students’ leader said the government was not interested in introducing meaningful reforms in the tribal areas according to the wishes of tribesmen. He said there was no need for formation of new committee to undertake reforms in Fata after tabling of the 22nd amendment bill in the National Assembly by the tribal lawmakers.

The government should support the bill if it was really interested in mainstreaming tribal areas, he said.

Besides, he complained that families crossing different checkpoints of Khasadar Force were not allowed unless they paid money, and asked Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra to take notice of the injustices.

He urged the federal government to repeal article 247 of the constitution so that the relevant laws could be extended to Fata.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2016