Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Thursday said the government should take the merger of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) to its logical conclusion. He was addressing a gathering to mark the death anniversary of party leader Dost Mohammad Khan in Landikotal.
Aftab Sherpao said the government should immediately release the Rs100 billion it had pledged for the uplift of the tribal districts. He said the government was dragging its feet to undertake uplift projects in the merged district and to provide basic amenities of life to the people.
Aftab Sherpao urged the government to help mitigate the sufferings of the tribal people as they had rendered unprecedented sacrifices for the restoration of peace.
The QWP leader said the election for the provincial assembly seats from the merged districts should be held as soon as possible to give representation to the people.
Casting aspersions on the census in the former Fata, the QWP leader said thousands of the tribes' people had been displaced from their homes due to militancy and subsequent military operations when headcount was undertaken.
"The government must re-hold census in the merged districts to gather authentic data about the population," he demanded. He said the KP chief minister was the chief executive of the province, including the tribal districts after the merger of Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said that governor should avoid meddling in the affairs of tribal districts.
Aftab Sherpao said though the prime minister was visiting the merged districts, he could not evolve consensus and persuade the provinces to contribute three percent of their budget to the uplift of the tribal districts.
Aftab Sherpao said the ongoing peace talks between the Taliban and the US should be all-inclusive to help restore viable peace to Afghanistan. The region has been in conflict for the four decades so this opportunity must not be missed to restore peace to Afghanistan, he added.
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