THE ISPR has announced that IDPs will be re-settled soon. This is good news, but I wonder where they are actually going to be sent. This is a land which is known as the worst place on earth, having no law and order.

A year ago I wrote a letter in these columns (‘Culprit rightly punished’) on the issue of Dr Shakeel Afridi, favouring the judgement incriminating him under FCR. But after perusing the FCR, I came to know that the masses of Fata are living a miserable life, having no access to the rule of law and justice. Article 2 of the Constitution of Pakistan includes territory of Fata as part of Pakistan.

On the other hand, Article 247(3) states that no act of the parliament shall extend to Fata or any part thereof. Article 247 (7) debars the jurisdiction of superior courts to the said areas.

This means that the Fata people aren’t proper citizens of Pakistan because they do not have any access to justice. The so-called laws regulating this region are the product of colonial days.

Fata should be brought under Pakistan’s law and FCR should be done away with.

Ahsan Altaf Abbasi

Sukkur

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2014