ISLAMABAD: Residents of various tribal agencies that are now a part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa demanded on Wednesday that provincial assembly elections be held in the tribal areas and other parts of the province simultaneously on July 25.

During a sit-in outside the National Press Club, they said it was unjustified that elections would be held in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas a year later and public representatives would not be able to become part of the cabinet.

The vice chairman of the Muttahida Qabail Party, Habib Noor Orakzai, told Dawn that even though the people of Pakistan gained independence in 1947, the people of Fata could not get freedom for another 70 years.

“Fata has finally been merged with KP after the 31st Amendment, but it has been announced that the provincial assembly elections will be held in April 2019,” he said, adding that public representatives who will be elected after a year will not become a part of the provincial cabinet.

He said the people of tribal areas feared that elections may not be held in Fata at all, which was why they decided to hold a sit-in.

“On May 27, we filed an application with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to address our concerns, and we also held a sit-in before Eid, but the ECP did not consider our request. Now we have decided to hold a sit-in here unless our problem is solved,” he said.

In response to a question, Mr Orakzai said there was no delimitation issue, and the elections could be held because their names were already included on polling lists.

“If the election cannot be held in Fata on July 25, it can be delayed by a few days or weeks. It is unjustified that the election will be held after a year,” he added.

“MQP is the first political party of the tribal areas, and it will continue its efforts for the rights of Fata’s people,” he said.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2018