SWABI/KHAR: Provincial general secretary of Jamaat-i-Islami Abdul Wasay said here on Saturday that they would observe ‘black day’ on Feb 16, which would be a turning point in their continued struggle for KP-Fata merger.

Talking to media persons, he said that they had planned the protest against the federal government’s decision of delaying the approval of Fata reform package despite the reported consensus developed in both the National Assembly and Senate.

“By delaying the reforms the federal government is pushing the people of Federally Administered Tribal Areas into darkness,” he said. He said that the Fata reforms should immediately be approved by the federal government, adding that his party would not accept any delaying tactics in this regard.

The JI leader said that they would also stage a peaceful protest in front of the Governor’s House, Peshawar, from Feb 26 to 28. The tribal people would also join the protest, he said.

In reply to a question, he said that the protest was planned to put pressure on the federal government to approve the reform package. He said that the PML-N-led government only wanted to satisfy the JUI-F and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party who were its coalition partners.

The provincial JI chief said that it was the incompetence of successive government that the British era Frontier Crime Regulation was still intact in Fata. He said that the federal government should approve the reform package endorsed by the PM’s adviser Sartaj Aziz-led Fata Reforms Committee.

In Khar, Jamaat-i-Islami on Saturday announced to organise a series of protests against the delay in announcement of proposed reforms package for Fata.

The announcement was made by JI local chapter chief Qari Abdul Majeed while speaking at a press conference here. He said that JI was concerned about the unnecessary delay in implementation of the reform package by the federal government.

Qari Majeed said that a big protest would be held on Feb 16 in Khar which would be addressed by JI provincial chief Mushtaq Ahmad Khan and other senior leaders. He said that a three-day protest demonstration would also be staged in Peshawar. He urged the federal government to show seriousness on Fata reforms and include them in the next cabinet meeting.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2017