Constitutional rights: Senate panel asks government to consult people of Fata

The government has been asked to consult the people of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) either through referendum, Local Bodies elections or Jirga before taking any decision about the future status of the country's seven agencies. This was the gist of the meeting of the Senate Committee of the Whole, presided over by the Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani here on Wednesday on public hearing regarding legislative, administrative and other measures that are required to bring the people of Fata in the mainstream to ensure constitutional rights to the people of the Fata.
Former senator Afrasiab Khan Khattak said that "no reforms package in the Fata would remain successful if it does not have ownership of the people or is backed by them". He said that the government needs to consult the people for their ownership and suggested three methods - referendum, Local Bodies' elections and Jirga.
Khattak also strongly criticised the FATA secretariat and termed it "Badshai Darbar (king's court) and officials working in the secretariat behave like 'Kings' with the people of Fata. He said that social sector infrastructure health and education have been completed ruined because of operations there. He said that implementation of FCR halted development process in the agencies and strongly suggested doing away with FCR.
He also suggested amendment in Article 247 because elected representatives of the FATA can not make legislation for their own areas in the existing shape of the Article. He said that that if government decides to hold LB elections, it must first ensure the return of the huge numbers of the IDPs from Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and Punjab. He said of the total IDPs of FATA, 70 percent are in KP and 30 percent in Punjab and their return must be ensured.
President Fata lawyers' forum Ejaz Shah said after 70 years, it is now being considered whether people of Fata are Pakistanis or not. He suggested that amendment should be made in Article 246 to give status to Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (Pata). Ejaz Shah said that the bill moved in the National Assembly about the status of Fata is the actual solution of this issue. Mehmood Shah Afridi FATA Journalists Association stated those people holding ID cards of Fata should be consulted.
Senator Raza Rabbani on the conclusion of the hearing remarked that a strategy needs to be developed with the mutual consultation to ensure constitutional rights to the people of Fata. He said that Senators, National Assembly members as well as prominent people from the FATA attended the meeting which shows that how much interest the Senate Committee of the Whole has generated on the issue of Fata. He said that the next meeting of the committee will be held on January 12, 2016. The Committee of the Whole was constituted to suggest legislative, administrative and other measures that are required to bring the people of Fata in the mainstream.