PESHAWAR, July 27: The Fata Grand Alliance (FGA) has said that it will neither tolerate any attack by Nato forces nor allow Pakistani troops to launch a fresh operation in the tribal areas.

Talking to journalists at the end of a day-long seminar at the Peshawar Press Club on Thursday, FGA convener Abdul Karim Mehsood said that tribal people would resist any aggression by the foreign forces.

He warned that if any fresh military operation was launched against the tribesmen, all agreements signed with the government would be scrapped.

“Tribesmen are used to solve their problems through tribal customs and jirga system and are opposed to the use of force by outsiders,” he added.

The FGA convener read out an eight-point communiqué based on reforms and demands worked out by the participants of the seminar on the future political and economic status of the tribal belt.

Mr Mehsood said the alliance would resist delegation of more draconian powers to the political administrations which the latter had enjoyed during the colonial period to suppress the freedom-loving tribesmen.

He demanded of the government to either empower the Fata Tribal Council or create a separate assembly for the Fata people so that they could elect their representatives like other people.

He said the FGA, a conglomerate of lawyers, businessmen, students and political groups, was apolitical front which wanted to bring reforms to the centuries-old laws and lives of tribesmen.

Mr Mehsood said the alliance would organise a rally of tribesmen on August 14 in Peshawar to denounce the atrocities being committed against tribal people for the last one decade.

The FGA convener urged the government to enforce the amended version of the FCR prepared by Justice Ajmal Mian in 2006 and establish a university, medical, engineering and cadet colleges in Fata.

He asked the Centre to nominate genuine tribal notables to the Pakistan-Afghan joint jirga.

Mr Mehsood urged the government to determine and protect the boundaries of tribal agencies and annex 25 villages separated from the Mohmand Agency. He said that only tribesmen should be given jobs in the Fata secretariat.