PESHAWAR - Announcing a six-point communiqué, All Fata Political Alliance Saturday termed the ongoing terrorism, military operations and drone strikes in tribal areas as sheer ‘violation of human rights’ and called upon the government to stop these acts immediately.
The All Fata Political Alliance, a conglomerate of different political and religion parties organised a Loya Jirga, which was presided over by ANP’s senior leader Abdul Latif Afridi at Nishtar Hall.
Owing to ongoing terrorism acts in tribal belt, thousands of tribesmen have been killed, injured or forced to take shelter in safe areas.
Besides, losing their jobs and damaging properties, thousands of tribal people have also been affected economically, speakers told the jirga, which was also attended by a number of people from Fata.
Prominent among those who addressed the jirga were PML-N’s provincial general secretary Rehmat Salam Khattak, ANP Bajaur Agency president Nisar Khan, PTI’s Bakht Zada, PPP’s ex-MNA Akhunzad Chittan, JI’s Zarnoor Afridi, PML-Q’s Ajmal Wazir, QWP’s Hashim Babar and Asad Afridi, JUI-F’s Maulana Abdur Rasheedand others.
They said that over 600 schools and dozens of health units have been destroyed in terrorism. Moreover, economic activities have stalled totally and no development project has been launched just because of unrest and violence in Fata. They appealed to the federal government to rein in terrorism, drones strikes and stop military operations in the tribal belt and take concrete steps for durable peace in the area.
They said that killing of people in drones and acts of terrorism was violation of human rights. To gain their own interest, different forces have turned Fata into a battlefield. They said that people from Fata have been passing through a difficult time. They accused the government of not compensating them.
Despite the lapse of 65 years, they said that the government neither gave them political freedom nor establish judicial system in Fata, which is regrettable. They urged the government to give representation to tribal people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly to get their problems resolved quickly.
They alleged that Fata Secretariat is hub of corruption. The political administration and bureaucracy are main hurdles in the implementation of political reforms in tribal belt. Not only this, they said that FCR especially its article 247 should be removed. Political and judicial system for the rest of the country should also be extended to Fata.
They demanded the government to approve Rs200 billion compensation package for terrorism-affected families and announce holding local bodies’ elections in tribal areas forthwith.