LANDI KOTAL: A group of tribal parliamentarians have expressed satisfaction with the pace of deliberations on the proposed Fata reforms and said a major breakthrough would be achieved in the next meeting of the federal cabinet.

Giving details of their meeting with prime minister’s adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz in Islamabad on Wednesday, parliamentary leader of the group and Khyber Agency MNA Haji Shahji Gul told Dawn that JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had abandoned his call for referendum on the Fata’s future after holding a meeting with five members committee of late.

He said the JUI-F chief had also approved of the proposed merger of Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa though suggesting a different nomenclature as a ‘face-saving’ in view of his earlier opposition against the merger.

Mr. Gul said he was hopeful that the report of the reforms committee would be approved by the federal cabinet in the next meeting as the committee had successfully removed all reservations of Maulana Fazalur Rehman as was desired by the prime minister.

He said as the federal cabinet had no representation of tribal areas, there was no one there to counterbalance the arguments of JUI-F minister Akram Khan Durrani against the proposed reforms.

He however appreciated major political parties for supporting the Fata reforms report and said the reforms would happen without opposition.

Bajaur Agency MNA Shahabuddin Khan told Dawn that the people of Fata in general and tribal parliamentarians in particular could no more tolerate the blackmail of their ‘self-proclaimed sympathisers’ in the name of referendum and safeguarding of tribal customs and traditions.

He urged the federal government to show urgency in approving the reforms committee’s report and said if the approval didn’t come by March, then the report’s approval would suffer long delays due to the budget-making for the next fiscal by the federal government.

The MNA insisted JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman was a shrewd and seasoned politician, who always wanted to draw ‘some personal benefits from issues of national importance’. He said the JUI-F leader won’t call for referendum on the future of Fata and that the reforms committee report would have a smooth sailing in the next meeting of the federal capital.

Meanwhile, the Jamaat-i-Islami on Thursday threatened to march on Islamabad over further delays in the implementation of the proposed Fata reforms.

JI Fata naib chief Zar Noor Afridi told Dawn that Frontier Crimes Regulation should be completed repealed and Fata should be merged with KP in line with the local residents.

He urged the federal government to extend the jurisdiction of superior courts to tribal areas besides legitimising tribal jirga for assisting the judiciary.

Mr. Afridi warned his party would stage a long march on the federal capital in early February if its demands were not met.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2016