PESHAWAR: Speakers at a seminar here on Thursday demanded abolition of Frontier Crimes Regulation, amendment to Article 247-A of the Constitution and merger of Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to ensure provision of all basic rights to the people in Fata.

The seminar titled ‘Fata reforms, challenges and opportunities’ was held under auspices of Takra Qabaili Khwendi (brave tribal sisters), a women rights organisation, at local hotel.

MPA Syed Jaffar Shah, former MPA Shagufta Malik, former MNA Akhundzada Chattan, University of Peshawar Area Study Centre director Dr Sarfraz Khan, lawyer Latif Afridi, TQK’s Samina Afridi, Nousheen Fatima, Shahida Shah, Rehana Tabassum, Shaukat Aziz, journalist Shamim Shahid, Dr Ashraf Ali, and a large number of civil society activists and legal experts attended the event.

Lawyer Latif Afridi called for serious initiatives for the resolution of the issues facing tribal women, and the implementation of relevant laws to enable tribal women to raise voice to claim rights. He said the existence of Fata as a separate entity was impractical and unfeasible idea.

“Tribal people don’t know where the funds received by the government are spent. We, the people of Fata, will be able to know about our rights after our region is merged with KP,” he said. Dr Sarfraz Khan said Fata issues could be resolved through political movements.

He said the ‘rewaj’ system had been proposed in Fata reforms package, which was another shape of the FCR.

Dr Sarfraz said the issues couldn’t be resolved until the higher education institutions were set up in Fata.

Former MPA Shagufta Malik said unfortunately, religious parties had opposed a bill regarding violence against women, which she had moved in the provincial assembly. Other speakers, including Syed Jaffar Shah, Akhundzada Chattan, Dr Ashraf Ali, also highlighted tribal people’s problems.

They criticised the successive governments for not taking serious steps to mainstream Fata, and bring change in social fabric of tribal society.

The speakers said all decisions should be made in consultation with tribal people.

Later, the participants unanimously adopted a resolution demanding the immediate complete abolition of the FCR and Fata’s merger with KP to ensure that the people of tribal regions take part in the 2018 general elections and get representation in the KP Assembly.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2016