GHALANAI: The Fata Siyasi Ittehad president Nisar Momand has said that tribal areas should be merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as tribesmen want representation in provisional assembly.

He said that they wanted extension of 1973 Constitution to tribal areas. “If bureaucracy and others institutions are sincere in Fata reforms, they should abolish the Fata Secretariat,” he told Dawn.

Mr Momand welcomed the draft Fata reforms, prepared by the federal government, but also showed some reservations over it. He said that access of tribal people justice and protection of local culture were proposed in the draft.

“It is also a good omen that holding of local bodies’ election in Fata is also included in the draft,” said Mr Momand. He said that it was acknowledged in the draft that tribal peoples neither wanted Fata council nor separate province but most of them wanted merger of Fata with KP.

The FSI president said that they wanted abolishment of Fata Secretariat because all line departments were under the control of provincial government. He said that civil bureaucracy didn’t see any personal profit in merger of Fata with KP. That’s why it was supporting the colonial system of FCR, he added.

Mr Momand said that Fata should not be considered a research centre to test every new system there. He alleged that rulers of Punjab and Fata Secretariat were major hurdle to Fata reforms.

Talking to Dawn, prominent tribal elder Haji Sobedar Safi termed FCR the root cause of all evils in the tribal region. He said that tribal areas should be merged with KP and local bodies’ elections should be held in the area.

The elder said that they wanted development of the area. “Some privileged elders are against the reforms but most of tribesmen are in favour of Fata reforms” he said.

PTI leader Sajid Khan said that tribal people should be taken into confidence about the reforms. “If government is sincere in Fata reforms, it should merge tribal areas with KP to resolve the long standing issue of tribesmen,” said the PTI leader.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2016