A Fata prime minister

Published February 27, 2017

A MALE child born in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas today will have to face many obstacles before he is able to earn enough to live a decent life.

A child born in FATA does not have the same rights as bestowed upon the rest of his fellow citizens by the state of Pakistan. His years of hard work in school and then intermediate and a degree college would be no more than a waste of time and go unrewarded.

He wouldn’t be able to find a job in his own region as there is no industry or economic activity worth the name. So he has to migrate to other regions of Pakistan in search of a livelihood.

Fata’s children have limited opportunities, their potential being to work as drivers, labourers or watchman. I wonder whether Pakistan will ever have a prime minister who hails from Fata.

Nawaz Afridi

Islamabad

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2017

Opinion

Editorial

By-election trends
Updated 23 Apr, 2024

By-election trends

Unless the culture of violence and rigging is rooted out, the credibility of the electoral process in Pakistan will continue to remain under a cloud.
Privatising PIA
23 Apr, 2024

Privatising PIA

FINANCE Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb’s reaffirmation that the process of disinvestment of the loss-making national...
Suffering in captivity
23 Apr, 2024

Suffering in captivity

YET another animal — a lioness — is critically ill at the Karachi Zoo. The feline, emaciated and barely able to...
Not without reform
Updated 22 Apr, 2024

Not without reform

The problem with us is that our ruling elite is still trying to find a way around the tough reforms that will hit their privileges.
Raisi’s visit
22 Apr, 2024

Raisi’s visit

IRANIAN President Ebrahim Raisi, who begins his three-day trip to Pakistan today, will be visiting the country ...
Janus-faced
22 Apr, 2024

Janus-faced

THE US has done it again. While officially insisting it is committed to a peaceful resolution to the...