PESHAWAR: The major ‘players’ are reaching a consensus to let the people of Fata decide whether the region become a part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or a separate province rather than imposing their own will on them.
It has been learnt from reliable sources that the government and other stakeholders might seek opinion of tribal people through referendum regarding merger with the province or giving status of a separate province to Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
The Awami National Party has also softened its stance about the status of Fata and decided to allow tribal people to determine their future.
Earlier, the party was insisting on merger of the 27,220 square kilometres stretch along the Afghan border, comprising seven administrative agencies and six frontier regions, with the adjacent Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl and Jamaat-i-Islami, having strong vote bank in tribal areas, are also opposing forceful integration of Fata with the province and want local people to decide their status.
JI says that an elected tribal council should be given mandate to decide the future of Fata.
The ANP central vice president, Senator Haji Mohammad Adeel, told Dawn that his party would honour the opinion of tribal people regarding integration with the province instead of imposing its decision on them.
“Our manifesto for the upcoming general elections would incorporate amendments that include giving choice and free hand to tribal people to determine their status,” said Senator Adeel, the chairman of the manifesto committee of ANP.
However, he said that ANP would continue its efforts to convince tribal people to go for merger with the province.
“ANP intends to inter into an aggressive political dialogue with the representatives of Fata,” he said, adding that the party had already declared 2012 as year of Fata.
The ANP election manifesto in 2008 said: “In order to end the under-development and violent nightmare of the tribesmen the government should take an early decision to merge these areas with the Pakhtunkhwa under special provisions.”
The ANP has approached parliamentarians from Fata to win their support on the issue. Fata lawmakers met Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti and leaders of ANP in Peshawar last week. Earlier, they held meeting with the ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan in Islamabad.
MNA from Khyber Agency Sahibzada Pir Noorul Haq Qadri said that they had agreed with ANP to form a six-member coordination committee to find out solution to the issue. He said that tribal agencies could be merged with the adjacent districts of the province.
Pir Noorul Haq and Akhunzada Chattan, PPP lawmaker from Bajaur tribal region, both favour merger of Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Major tribes in Kurram Agency have also taken strong exception to Mutahidda Qaumi Movement’s proposal to make Fata ‘Qabailistan’ province.
Haji Adeel said that ANP could offer constitutional and economic packages to tribal people for merger of Fata with the province. “Like the Provincially Administered Tribal Areas, Fata can also get the same package if it is merged with the province,” he said, adding it could be discussed with the genuine representatives and elders of tribal areas.
The ANP was in favour of more representation to Fata in the provincial assembly, he said.