PESHAWAR, June 11: The Fata Reforms Forum has demanded that the government should include those people in the Pakistan-Afghan peace jirga who have influence on the Pakistan side of the Durand Line.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club, forum president Engineer Zaman Khan Dawar, general secretary Barkat Ali Afridi and senior vice-president Iqbal Khyberwal said that if the members of the peace jirga had no influence in Fata, it would not serve the purpose.

They announced their support for the Fata Grand Alliance for holding a grand tribal jirga in Peshawar on June 14.

They said that ulema, senators, MNAs, agency councillors, scholars, intellectuals, students, Tribal Union of Journalists, Fata Chamber of Commerce, Fata Lawyers’ Forum and Fata Reforms Forum had formed the Grand Fata Alliance for devising a joint strategy for resolving the problems of people.

They said that the government had included elected members of the National Assembly and the Senate in the Pakistan-Afghan jirga.

They suggested that the government should include these people in the jirga, being held in Kabul in August, who had influence in tribal areas and could help implement the decisions.

They said that the reforms suggested by them, despite approval by the president, could not be implemented in the tribal area due to the international situation and security conditions in the region.

They said that after 9/11 the world scenario had changed which had also affected the situation on both sides of the border.

They said that the Grand Fata Alliance would hold tribal jirga on June 14, in Peshawar which would be attended by representatives of various tribal organisations, besides common people.

They urged the tribesmen to attend the meeting in a large number which they said was a first step towards identification of the problems of the tribesmen and suggesting their solution.They said that the jirga would focus on two main problems, security and political future of the tribesmen.