PESHAWAR: People’s Youth Organisation (PYO), Fata chapter, has claimed that majority of tribal people have rejected the proposed Riwaj Act and warned to launch a protest drive if the federal government failed to approve early merger of Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In a statement issued here on Friday, PYO Fata president Gul Afridi said they would go to any extent to get rid of the black FCR law. “We will soon announce a protest plan to force the government to accept demands of tribal people.

He said if the tribal people were given representation in the national and provincial assemblies they would be able to raise their voice effectively for solution to their demands.

We are also citizens of the country and as such should be given all the rights,” he demanded. He said the government, on one hand, was seeking suggestions for solution to their problems, but on the other, it had changed its plan on the Fata-KP merger to appease some politicians.

Gul Afridi said the people of Fata had heavily suffered due to war on terror and thousands of people were still out of their hometowns but the government was least bothered to take prompt steps for their rehabilitation.

He said the people were facing hardships in camps and other residential localities away from their homes and the month of Ramazan would be very tough for them if they were not sent back to their homes.

He also recalled the miseries suffered by the tribal people during the Afghan war and said it was duty of the federal government to allocate sufficient funds for the people in the annual budget.

He said the foreign funds meant for Fata’s uplift were either spent in Islamabad or embezzled by the officials at the Fata secretariat.

The government, Mr Afridi said should spend the funds on development of Fata.

He said peace in Pakistan depended on peace in Afghanistan, saying the government should extend cooperation for restoration of peace in the neighbouring country.

The PYO leader also urged the political parties to play their role effectively for the rights of Fata people, and demanded of Pakistan People’s Party leadership to give representation to Fata in the party manifesto committee so it could accommodate proposals for solution to problems of tribesmen.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2017