PESHAWAR, Dec 20: Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid has asked the government to take immediate steps for stopping drone attacks and military operations in Federally Administered Tribal Areas and announce rehabilitation plan for internally displaced persons. It also called for setting up of separate polling stations in different districts so that tribal people could cast their votes.

“It is very unfortunate that in case of terrorist acts in any part of the country the government holds Fata people responsible without any investigation,” PML-Q central senior vice-president and coordinator for Fata Ajmal Khan Wazir said while speaking at ‘Istehkam-i-Pakistan Conference’ in Peshawar Press Club on Thursday.

The conference, organised by PML-Q (Fata chapter), was attended by people from different tribal regions. Several elders and political activists belonging to Fata also joined the PML-Q on the occasion.

A number of notables, including Farmanullah Shah, Aftab Orakzai, Mehdi Hussain Bangash, Asad Sher Mohmand and PML-Q cultural wing’s central president Sultana Gul, also spoke at the conference.

Mr Wazir said that the federal government did not want development in tribal region otherwise huge funds (Rs4 billion) meant for development of tribal regions would not have been transferred to public sector development programme.

He said that the government extended Political Parties Act to Fata, but did not restore peace. He said that terrorism could not be controlled unless drones were stopped and army withdrawn from the region.

The PML-Q leader said that the government had failed to curb militancy and as such law and order situation in all provinces, especially in Fata, was not favorable to hold general election. He said that frequent attacks had caused mental problems among population as drones had targeted funerals, jirgas, wedding parties and killed innocent people.

Mr Wazir said that Governor Masood Kausar was not aware of his responsibilities in Fata. He claimed that chemical weapons were being used in drone attacks, which had also destroyed forests and caused different diseases among the people. He said that PML-Q would field candidates in all constituencies of Fata in coming election.

Earlier, PML-Q culture wing president Sultana Gul said that attacks on polio workers had exposed the government’s failure to maintain law and order situation.