PESHAWAR: Students from different tribal regions have demanded complete repeal of Article 247 of the Constitution and empowerment of Fata parliamentarians to legislate for their own region.

They were speaking at a seminar about awareness of local government system among the youth of Federally Administered Tribal Areas, which was organised by Center for Governance and Public Accountability here on Friday. About 40 students from different tribal areas attended the session. 

CGPA Fata coordinator Mohammad Imran gave a briefing to the inquisitive tribal students about different controversial clauses of the Frontier Crimes Regulations and the impact of Article 247 on the working of Fata parliamentarians and its effects on the governance system of the region.

Students briefed about Fata issues during seminar

Mr Imran apprised the students about the changes introduced to some of the much criticised clauses of FCR in 2011 and the reasons why these reforms were not implemented in totality so far.

During the course of discussion, tribal students demanded a complete repeal of the Article 247, saying it was an infringement on the basic democratic rights of Fata parliamentarians. 

They said that unless Fata parliamentarians were not empowered to legislate for their own areas, no meaningful change could be brought about in the existing set of regulations. The students also demanded immediate extension of the jurisdiction of the superior courts to all tribal regions to ensure speedy justice to the people.

They said that officials of the political administration and their handpicked tribal elders were the main hurdle in the way of bringing about meaningful and desired changes in FCR.

“The political administration and tribal Maliks are the main beneficiaries of the existing governance system and they are the main obstacle to any reforms in the existing system,” they observed.

Most of the students however fairly admitted that they had never studied the copy of FCR nor were they fully aware about the changes brought into it by a Presidential Ordinance back in August 2011. 

The students were at loss to differentiate between the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Provincially Administered Tribal Areas. Most of them were also unable to define basic human rights and fundamental constitutional rights. They, however, insisted that such awareness sessions should be regularly held for them to keep them abreast of the administrative system of their areas.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2015

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