BAJAUR, Oct 24: The federal government’s decision to restrict the MNAs-elect from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) from joining any political party has created deep resentment among the tribal population as the deadline given to the independents to do so expired on Thursday.
The 12 MNAs-elect from Fata would be the only group in a house of 332 members, who would stay independent and would not back any political party, except the government.
Soon after the polls, the government directed that the MPs elected as independent candidates would have to announce the joining of a political party within three days of the declaration of official results by the Election Commission.
Seven of the 12 new parliamentarians from Fata, who contested the polls on the tickets and symbol of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, have returned to the National Assembly.
As the government amended the ordinance through which the Political Parties Act was extended to the tribal areas during the election campaign, the candidates of National Assembly from Fata were directed to contest the polls as independent candidates.
However, by the time the ordinance was amended, the Election Commission had allotted to the candidates the election symbols of the parties on whose nomination they had filed their papers.
Later, they were directed that as political activities were not allowed in the tribal territory, they would participate in the elections in their independent capacity.
“The seven MPs are part of the religio-political parties’ alliance, as they were awarded tickets and they contested the elections under the same symbol,” said MNA-elect from Bajaur Agency Maulana Mohammad Sadiq, while talking to Dawn.
He said that the MMA would oppose the EC decision, which barred the MPs from Fata from joining any political party. Independent candidates from other constituencies of the National Assembly would have to join a political party by Oct 24.
The MNA-elect said the ban on political activities in the tribal areas and the restrictions on Fata MPs joining of political parties had created resentment among the MPs and the tribal population.
An official of the Election Commission told this correspondent that the CEC had issued a notification that as the government had withdrawn the Political Parties Act from the tribal areas, there was a complete ban on political activities in Fata. As such, the MPs elected from Fata could not join any political party, he added.