Efforts to merge Fata with KP to be foiled: JUI-F

Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Fata chapter chief Mufti Abdul Shakoor on Tuesday rejected the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and termed it against the aspiration of respective tribal people. While addressing a news conference at Peshawar Press Club, Mufti Shakoor said that his party would not accept any other solution to Fata problems rather than holding a referendum to decide the fate of the tribal areas. He said those who are demanding Fata merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa actually want to divert the attention from the basic and real problems of tribal people.
"JUI-F will foil any attempt to merge Federally Administered Tribal Areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Abdul Shakoor said. He called that the move was a conspiracy being hatched against tribesmen and people of the province. He added that his party could not accept move against aspirations of tribal people, and it would continue struggle for separate province. He claimed that about 80 per cent tribal people were against the merger of Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He called for respecting the opinion of the tribal people, and to abstain from taking any unilateral decision regarding future of tribal region.