KHAR: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F leaders on Saturday pledged to continue making efforts to replace the current governance system in the tribal areas with Islamic laws.

They made the announcement while addressing a public meeting here that was attended by people and party workers in large numbers.

Senior JUI leaders, including its Bajaur emir Maulana Abdur Rasheed, Haji Said Badshah and Ahmed Zeb Khan Advocate addressed the meeting and highlighted the party policy on the future governance system in Fata.

Explaining party stance on the proposed reforms in the tribal areas, the JUI leaders said the party was neither against the reforms and nor it supported the current colonial governance system in the region, but wanted that any change in the tribal areas should be introduced as per the wishes of people.

The JUI vowed that implementation of Islamic laws in the tribal areas was their priority as majority of people wanted such laws.

They believed that replacing FCR with country’s regular laws would not overcome the problems of tribesmen.

They also rejected the impression that merger of Fata with KP would boost the socioeconomic condition of tribesmen, vowing the JUI would continue struggle to make Fata a separate province.

On the occasion, hundreds of people, including tribal elders and workers of political parties announced to join the JUI.

SHOPS GUTTED: Two shops and a vehicle were burnt in a fire that broke out in Inayat Kallay Bazaar on Friday night, residents and local administration officials said.

They said the fire was caused by an electric short-circuit in a market situated along the bypass road, adding the gutted shops were selling automobile spare parts. A car parked inside in a shop was also destroyed in the incident.

Local people immediately rushed to the spot, preventing the blaze from reaching adjacent shops.

The local people alleged that they contacted the local administration officials to send fire tenders to the spot, but they didn’t.

Meanwhile, the shop owners claimed that they suffered a loss of Rs4 million in the incident. They said the car destroyed in the fire belonged to another person who had parked it for repair.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2016