PESHAWAR, Dec 10: Speakers at a seminar here on Monday said that problems of tribal people were increasing with each passing despite introduction of reforms in Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) by the government.

They said that the only solution to problems of tribal people was complete abolishment of FCR. Otherwise, administration would continue to exploit people of tribal areas, they added.

The seminar was organised jointly by Citizen Rights and Sustainable Development (CRSD), South Asia Partnership (SAP) and Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO) in connection with World Human Rights Day at Peshawar Press Club.

CRSD chief executive Idrees Kamal, Fata Lawyers Forum president Ejaz Mohmand, Zar Ali Afridi, Samiullah Afridi, Shams Naveed, Nisar Mohammad Khan, Aqeel Yousafzai, Ashraf and Nusrat Bibi addressed the seminar.

The speakers said that children and elderly people were detained in different tribal regions despite announcement of FCR reforms. They demanded of the government to repeal FCR.

They said that human rights were being violated under FCR in Fata areas despite extension of Political Party Act to the area.

People were facing severe problems owing to discretionary powers of administration, they added.

The speakers said that Pakhtuns, particularly tribal people, were deprived of basic human rights under a conspiracy. They said that FCR was main hurdle to provision of human rights in Fata.

“Tribal people have to remain silent over injustices because under the constitution they have no right to move high court or Supreme Court,” said Ejaz Mohammad.

He said that FCR was against the human rights and lawyers had already moved court against it but their efforts were yet to bear fruits. He said that 90 per cent problems of tribal people would be solved if they were given access to information and right of appeal.

Mr Mohmand claimed that there was no concept of human rights in tribal areas. He said that tribal people couldn’t think about filing an appeal in a court of law against the injustices meted out to them.

Mr Mohmand said that no one in tribal areas was ready to hold the administration responsible in missing person cases.

He asked the officials concerned to produce all people in their custody before a court of law and provide evidence against them if they were guilty so that they could be awarded punishment.

Meanwhile, the students of University of Peshawar at a function here on Monday termed the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights as secular understanding of human rights with its clauses contradictory to Islamic Sharia.

The function was arranged by International Relations Students Association University of Peshawar. Dean faculty of numerical and physical sciences Dr Mohammad Riaz was chief guest on the occasion. Chairman of international relations department Dr Adnan Sarwar and other faculty members were also present at the function.

Dr Riaz told the students that they were among the two per cent population of the country that got a chance of acquiring higher education. He urged them to work for promotion of human rights practices in the country.

Dr Adnan said that world had not given due attention to human rights laws. The great powers were frequently violating international laws, he added. He urged the students to observe human rights practices rather than becoming violators of the law.