ISLAMABAD: Amid a common compliant of negligence by the government in solving problems being faced by people in different parts of the country, members of the National Assembly from the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (Pata) on Friday criticised the government for not fulfilling the promises made with the tribal people when these areas were merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa two years ago.

In a calling attention notice moved by MNAs from both treasury and opposition benches hailing from tribal areas — Sher Akbar Khan, Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali, Dr Haider Ali Khan and Junaid Akbar — they said that despite the promises made by the government at the time of merger of Fata and Pata with KP, the people of tribal areas were being charged taxes in utility bills.

Jamaluddin, a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker, said the government had assured the people of South Waziristan that they would be given a compensation of Rs400,000 for each house destroyed during the war on terrorism, but nothing had so far been given to the victims. He said that at the time of merger the people of Fata were promised that no tax would be imposed on them till five years onward [till 2023].

He threatened the government of dire consequences if it failed to fulfil its promises. “I have stopped them [people of Fata]; otherwise, they were marching towards Islamabad to stage a sit-in,” he added.

At this, Makhdoom Zain Hussain Qureshi of the PTI said that under the 25th Constitution Amendment [merger of Fata and Pata with KP], domestic consumers in tribal areas had been exempted from taxes, but these would be imposed on the industries established after the amendment [after May 31, 2018].

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2020