PESHAWAR: Jamaat-i-Islami called off its protest sit-in here on Sunday after getting assurance from Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra that federal cabinet would decide fate of Fata reforms report before March 12.

Workers of JI from Fata staged sit-in outside Governor’s House to protest delay in approval of the six-member committee report about the political mainstreaming of tribal belt.

JI had announced to arrange three days sit-in outside Governor’s House. JI workers assembled on the road to register their protest. Police had also placed barricades on the roads leading towards the Governor’s House that also caused inconvenience to motorists.

As the sit-in was in progress, Governor Jhagra invited JI leaders for talks. A three-member delegation headed by former MNA Sahibzada Haroon Rashid held talks with the governor.

“The governor assured the delegation that Fata reforms report would be put on the federal cabinet agenda before March 12,” Sahibzada Haroon told Dawn after meeting Mr Jhagra. He said that the sit-in was called off after getting assurance from the governor.

JI had announced to stage protest demonstration in Islamabad on March 12 to put pressure on the federal government to approve the committee report. Pro-reforms political parties and a group of parliamentarians from Fata had also supported the scheduled march in Islamabad.

The Sartaj Aziz committee report was removed from the federal cabinet meeting agenda on February 7. Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party were opposing the report of the committee.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman had stated that an understanding with the government on Fata reforms had reached and the report would be put on the cabinet agenda in its next meeting. JUI-F is opposing the report of the committee, which had recommended merger of Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Sahibzada Haroon said that if the reforms report was further delayed then JI would take thousands of tribal people to Islamabad to stage sit-in outside Parliament House. “We will continue our protest until the government approves the report and eradicate Frontier Crimes Regulation for good,” he added.

The JI leader said that they apprised the governor about the harassment of Pakhtuns particularly tribal people in Punjab and Sindh. He said that the delegation asked Governor Jhagra to take up the matter with the federal interior minister and stop police of the two provinces from harassing Pakhtuns.

Earlier addressing the protesters, JI provincial chief Mushtaq Ahmad Khan came down heavily on the opponents of the committee report. He said that a handful people were opposing reforms in Fata to protect interests of bureaucracy, corrupt and privileged class of tribal society.

He said that the committee spent 11 months to prepare the report after meeting with elders, politicians and students from Fata. The committee, he said, had unanimously recommended merger of Fata with the province and it was deferred at the eleventh hour when few people opposed it.

Mr Khan said that majority of the members of National Assembly and Senate had supported the report. He said that reforms were being opposed only to protect interests of corrupt mafia and privileged class. He said that days of FCR had been numbered and government had no other option but to merge tribal areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2017