KOHAT: Chief of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Thursday that the decision about the future of Fata (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) should be taken by its people.

Speaking at a convention of clerics here, he said the tribal people had never accepted slavery and they were able to take a right decision about the future of Fata.

The JUI-F chief said that Pakistan’s economic and defence policies should not be made under duress of the United States’ leaders. The US, he added, was against Pakistan’s increasing relationship with China.

The Maulana severely criticised the policies of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the performance of the party-led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He accused the PTI leadership of promoting western culture in Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2018