Tribesmen launch pro-reform alliance

Published August 2, 2002

PESHAWAR, Aug 1: All the political parties of tribal areas have formed an alliance with a view to ensuring the implementation of reforms in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Briefing the newsmen after a meeting of political parties of Khyber, Orakzai and Kurram agencies here at the Peshawar Press Club on Thursday, Mr Rehmat Shah Afridi, the president of the newly-formed Qabail Siasi Ittehad, said the alliance had been formed in order to get the recently announced reforms in Fata implemented in letter and spirit.

Mr Afridi, flanked by the leaders of various political parties of Fata, expressed concern over the tactics adopted by the political administration of Fata and bureaucracy to block the implementation of reforms and asked the government to put brakes on those activities aimed at sabotaging the reform process.

Fearing that they would be deprived of millions of rupees which they earned through corruption in Fata after the implementation of the reforms programme initiated by the present government, the bureaucrats and officials of the political administration are trying their level best to make the reform process a failure.

Mr Afridi was of the view that the government should defer the installation of electricity meters in Fata till the election process and leave it to the elected representatives to solve the problems of payment of electricity by the tribesmen.