PESHAWAR, Feb 21: The All Fata Agency-Councillors Alliance has warned the federal government of a long march to Islamabad if it does not give them powers in accordance with the constitution.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Tuesday, chairman of the alliance Sardar Ali announced boycott of products from European countries. He said that the publication of blasphemous cartoons had hurt the sentiments of tribesmen and they had vowed not to use products manufactured in the countries where the blasphemous sketches were printed.

Accompanied by agency-councillors from Bajuar, Khyber and South Waziristan, he said that they, as representatives of three million tribesmen, were shocked over the shameful act of the European countries which amounted to assault on Islam. It was absolutely intolerable for the Muslims around the world, he said.

About their problems, they said that they were still waiting for powers under the constitution to resolve the problems faced by tribesmen.

The NWFP governor and bureaucracy were the main hurdle in the way of councillors getting constitutional powers, he said, adding that 450 agency-councillors wanted to resolve the problems of people but they had powers only to give advice to political administration on day to day affairs. He said that the councillors should be given right to give advice to political authorities in respect of development projects and appointments and transfer of government employees and supervise working of the state-run departments in Fata.

“Political administration in tribal agencies had not consulted us on annual development programmes in Fata and many agencies have been ignored in development schemes this year,” he alleged.

He said that they would hold a long march towards Islamabad and present their charter of demands to the president.