KHAR: The pro-FCR tribal elders in Bajaur Agency on Thursday decided to extend their support to Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl for its stance against the Fata-KP merger and announced to ensure participation in its planned protest rally in Islamabad on Dec 30.

The elders made the announcement during a joint meeting of Fata Supreme Council and JUI-F local leaders in Civil Colony here. It was attended by a number of pro-administration elders from different areas and JUI-F leaders, including its local chapter chief Maulana Abdur Rasheed.

The local JUI-F leaders on the occasion briefed the tribal elders about their party policy on tribal areas’ future, saying it was in favour of a separate province of Fata. The elders were told that in JUI-F’s view the separate province was the best solution to the problems of tribesmen.

They said that those who believed that Fata should be part of KP were against the interest of tribal people. They claimed that JUI-F had always raised voice for the rights of tribesmen. They asked the elders to support their party’s stand on future of Fata.

A number of tribal elders and members of Fata Supreme Council, including Sultan Zeb, Hifzur Rehman, Mohammad Ayaz, Abdul Nasar and Masood Jan, addressed the meeting and assured their full support to JUI-F for its stand on Fata’s future.

The elders said that they also wanted that Fata should be made a separate province instead of merging it with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They assured their support to the scheduled protest rally of JUI-F against the merger plan in Islamabad on Dec30.

They termed the scheduled protest rally of JUI-F very timely to show the government that majority of people of the tribal areas were in favour of separate province.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2017